3548 



ZIZYPHUS 



emarginate, serrulate, glabrous, %-2 in. long: fls. yel- 

 lowish, fascicled, in axillary cymes: fr. ovoid to oblong, 

 dark red or almost black, J^-^in. long, short-stalked. 

 March-June. S. Eu., S. and E. Asia; naturalized in 

 Ala. R.H. 1859:602, 603. F.E. 19:395 (pi. 96). Var. 

 inermis, Schneid. (Z. vulgaris var. inermis, Bunge). 

 Branches unarmed. A.G. 12 : 79. 



Z. Girdldii, Sprenger. "A fine tree with a slender st. and compact 

 crown and black edible fr." N. China. This is probably not differ- 

 ent from Z. sativa, which occurs in N. China and has been collected 

 there by Giraldi according to his herbarium specimens. Z. Joazeiro, 

 Mart. Lvs. broadly ovate, acutish, cordate at base, serrulate, 

 nearly glabrous, 2-3 in, long: cymes many-fld. : fr. cherry-like, yel- 

 low. Brazil. Z. Ldtus, Lam. Prickly shrub, 3-^ ft. high: Ivs. ovate- 

 oblong, crenulate, glabrous: fls. in few-fid, axillary cymes: fr. sub- 

 globose, yellow. S. Eu., N. Afr. Z. Mlstol, Griseb. Spiny tree, to 

 30 ft. : Ivs. short-petioled, coriaceous, oval, obtuse or retuse, sub- 

 cordate at base, minutely and sparingly serrulate, hoary pubes- 

 cent, about 1 in. long: fr. black, Hin. diam. Argejntina. Z^num- 



mularia, DC.=Z. rotundifolia. Z. oxyph^tta, Edgew. Closely 

 related to Z. sativa. The slender prickle about Min. long: Ivs. ovate, 



flavor. Z. PalHirus, Willd.=Paliurus Spina-Christi. Z. Pdrryi, 

 Torr. Belongs to the genus Condalia, which is easily distinguished 

 by not having spiny stipules but the branchlets transformed into 

 sfender thorns and by its entire, usually penni-nerved Ivs. C. Pdr- 

 ryi, Weberb., is a much-branched, glabrous thorny shrub, 4-15 ft. 

 high: Ivs. elliptic to qbovate, obtuse, cuneate at the base, M~Hin. 

 long: fls. slender-pedicelled, in sessile clusters: fr. ovoid, J^in. long. 

 S. Calif. This plant was once offered by a collector of native plants, 

 but it is probably not in the trade now. Z. rotundiftilia, Lam. 

 Shrub, heavily armed: Ivs. ovate to orbicular, tomentose on both 

 surfaces: fr. globose, black, woody, about %in. diam. Persia east- 

 ward. Z. rugdsa, Lam. Large evergreen shrub or small tree, some- 

 times of climbing habit, armed: Ivs. elliptic, glabrous above, 2-6 in. 

 long: fr. fleshy, 1 -seeded, obovoid or globose, J^-J^in. diam. Hima- 

 laya. Z. Spina-Christi, Willd. Small prickly tree: Ivs. oval to 

 oblong, crenulate, glabrous or pubescent on the veins beneath: fls. 

 in axillary clusters; pedicels tomentose: fr. ovoid-globose, red. N. 

 Afr., W. Asia. This species is supposed by some to have furnished 

 Christ's crown of thorns; see also Paliurus Spina-Christi. 



ALFRED REHDER. 

 Cultivation of the jujubes. 



While several species of Zizyphus bear edible fruits, 

 Z. Jujuba is the only one of much importance in culti- 

 vation. As to its original country, preponderance of 

 evidence favors Syria, from whence it was carried to 

 Europe by Sextus Popinius toward the end of the reign 

 of Augustus Caesar, about the beginning of the Christian 

 era, and soon spread to all the countries bordering the 

 shores of the Mediterranean. It is a quite hardy tree 

 but its cultivation in Europe is confined to the warmer 

 parts of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, and in 

 Africa to the northern states of that continent. Its 

 first introduction into the United States seems to have 

 been by Robert Chisolm who brought trees from Eu- 

 rope in 1837 and planted them at Beaufort, North 

 Carolina. It was introduced to California and neigh- 

 boring states from southern France by the writer in 

 1876. The original trees of this importation are still 

 growing in Sonoma Valley and have reached a height 

 of 25 feet and a diameter of trunk of 8 to 10 inches, 

 and are annually bearing abundant crops of fruit. 



The tree is of drooping habit, the branches, espe- 

 cially in autumn, bending down with the burden of 

 fruit. Its delicate light green foliage renders it very 

 ornamental, while its reddish brown shining fruit, the 

 size and shape of a small olive, adds to its beauty in 

 autumn. The fruit is dry and wrinkled when fully 

 ripe and has a subacid flavor which is pleasing to most 

 persons. In southern Europe it is used to a considerable 

 extent as a table dessert and in winter as a dry sweet- 

 meat. It is regarded as a valuable pectoral and is 

 esteemed for throat troubles in the form of pastes, 

 tablets, sirup, and the like. 



The tree has been extensively cultivated in northern 

 China for thousands of years and hundreds of varie- 

 ties have been developed. Frank N. Meyer, an ex- 

 plorer sent out by the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant 

 Introduction of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, has introduced many of the best varie- 



ties, most of which are now fruiting at the Depart- 

 ment experiment station, and are being distributed in 

 the least frosty sections of the country. The fruits of 

 the Chinese varieties are much larger than those 

 grown in Europe, but are somewhat inferior in flavor. 

 In China orchards of hundreds of acres in extent were 

 observed by Meyer in the vicinity of the cities. One 

 variety has recently borne at the Introduction Garden 

 at Chico, California, the fruit of which is as large as an 

 average hen's egg. Meyer says there are 300 or 400 

 varieties in cultivation by the Chinese. Some types are 

 spherical and brown in color, others elongated and 

 light mahogany-brown. Some sorts are eaten fresh 

 and others are dried and keep indefinitely. The largest 

 varieties when processed with sugar and honey make a 

 delicious sweetmeat, comparable to a good quality of 

 Persian dates. The Chinese shops in this country 

 carry stocks of the dried and processed fruits which 

 are much appreciated, not only by the Chinese, but 

 by Europeans. Most of the varieties are armed with 

 sharp stipular thorns, though occasionally thornless 

 and seedless sorts have been produced. 



Besides Zizyphus Jujuba, which produces the best 

 fruits, other species are useful in various ways. Z. 

 Joazeiro of Brazil, according to Dorsett, Popenoe, and 

 Shamel, is a beautiful dense umbrageous tree produ- 

 cing enormous crops of fruit which is greedily eaten by 

 sheep, cattle, horses, and swine, and has the advan- 

 tage of thriving in very arid regions. Z. Lotus grows 

 about the shores of the Mediterranean, the fruit of 

 which, though inferior to Z. Jujuba, is eaten by the 

 people of its native country. Z. rotundifolia (Z. num- 

 mularia) is a thorny shrub native of northwestern 

 India where it is much used as a garden hedge. The 

 fruit is small, but of pleasant subacid flavor. Z. 

 rugosa, with an edible drupe, is hardier than the last, 

 ascending in Burma to 4,000 feet. Z. sativa is a small 

 or medium tree of Syria and northern India, ascending 

 the Himalayas to 6,500 feet, therefore quite hardy. Its 

 fruit is the size of a large olive, acid, but used for pastes 

 and pectoral lozenges. Z. Spina-Christi is a bush 

 used for hedges, so named from a notion that the crown 

 of thorns was fashioned from the twigs. Z. Mistol is a 

 small tree of Argentina with edible fruit with large 

 stones. 



The common jujube thrives in nearly all parts of 

 the southwestern states and California and on all 

 kinds of soil, except heavy clay and in wet locations, 

 and requires little irrigation. The trees are planted 

 15 to 20 feet apart and are given the usual orchard 

 cultivation. On account of their beauty the trees are 

 often planted in dooryards. Propagation is by seeds or 

 offsets. The seeds are very hard and are often cracked 

 before planting, otherwise they will be one or even two 

 years in germinating. Seedlings have been known to 

 blossom at one year, but four years is more usual. As 

 established trees send up abundant sprouts, the usual 

 method of propagation is by this means. 



The trees are regular bearers and the crop is never 

 cut off by spring frosts, as they do not blossom until 

 June in the valleys of California. The fruit of most 

 varieties ripens in October and November and if 

 desired for consumption fresh is -gathered when show- 

 ing the characteristic reddish brown or mahogany 

 color, but if to be dried it is left on the tree until it 

 assumes a darker shade and the skin is wrinkled. In 

 this condition, after a short exposure to the sun the 

 fruit will keep a year or longer. For preserving in 

 sirup or glaceing, the unwrinkled fruit, being slightly 

 more acid, is preferred. 



The jujube is well worth the attention of fruit-growers 

 and when produced in sufficient quantities will find an 

 active demand from citizens from the south of Europe. 

 It will appeal to all when fresh from the tree when prop- 

 erly processed, and for its medicinal virtues when simply 

 dried or made into pastes or tablets. Q. p. RIXFORD. 



