Ziziphus parryi |
Ziziphus jujuba |
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California crucillo, lotebush, Parry's jujube, Parry's jujube or abrojo |
Chinese date, common jujuba, common jujube |
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Habit | Shrubs, 1–4 m; secondary branches pale greenish yellow to purplish, not pruinose, glabrous, thorn-tipped, axillary thorns solitary, with 0–1 nodes, without tertiary thorns, stipular spines absent. | Shrubs or small trees, 2–12 m; secondary branches reddish, glabrescent, not thorn-tipped, axillary thorns absent; stipular spines usually present, straight or curving, 15–40 mm, solitary or paired, sometimes absent. |
Leaves | deciduous, alternate, sometimes fascicled; blades olive green, elliptic to obovate, 1–2.5(–3) cm, herbaceous, base obtuse to rounded, margins entire, apex rounded to cuneate or shallowly emarginate, surfaces glabrous; 1-veined. |
deciduous, alternate; blade green abaxially, darker green and glossy adaxially, ovate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong, 3–6 cm, coriaceous, base oblique, margins crenate-serrate, apex usually obtuse to rounded, rarely acute, surfaces glabrous; 3-veined from base. |
Inflorescences | usually fascicles, 2–5-flowered, rarely flowers solitary. |
cymes, 2–8-flowered, or rarely flowers solitary. |
Flowers | hypanthium and sepals purplish to greenish; petals white. |
hypanthium and sepals yellow-green, petals pale yellow. |
Drupes | brownish to orange or purplish brown, ovoid to ellipsoid, 10–20(–25) mm. |
ripening through yellow-green to dark red or reddish purple, ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid, 15–20(–30) mm. |
2n | = 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 96. |
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Ziziphus parryi |
Ziziphus jujuba |
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Phenology | Flowering (Feb–)Mar–May. | Flowering Mar–May. |
Habitat | Chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodlands, rocky washes and arroyos, hill slopes. | Old home and ranch sites, fencerows, fields, pastures, roadsides, weedy riparian woods, alluvial slopes. |
Elevation | 600–1000(–1600) m. (2000–3300(–5200) ft.) | 50–700 m. (200–2300 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
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AL; AZ; CA; FL; GA; LA; TX; UT; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Ziziphus parryi is known in the flora area only from Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, but the distribution continues southward in Baja California as far as Cedros Island. Small-leaved plants from southern Baja California have been identified as Z. parryi var. microphylla, but similar variants occur sporadically into California. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The fruits of Ziziphus jujuba have a datelike taste and are eaten fresh, dried, candied, or preserved. Hundreds of cultivars have been developed in China. The spineless var. inermis (Bunge) Rehder sometimes is identified as a cultivar. The species was first introduced to North America in 1837 and has spread widely. It is not always clear whether it is naturalized or persisting from earlier plantings. The name Ziziphus zizyphus (Linnaeus) H. Karsten, sometimes used for this species, is a tautonym and therefore illegitimate. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 72. | FNA vol. 12, p. 72. |
Parent taxa | Rhamnaceae > Ziziphus | Rhamnaceae > Ziziphus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Condalia parryi, Condalia parryi var. microphylla, Condaliopsis parryi, Z. parryi var. microphylla | Rhamnus zizyphus |
Name authority | Torrey: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 46. (1859) — (as Zizyphus) | Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Ziziphus no. 1. (1768) — name conserved |
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