SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 
not appear till towards the end of May. The 
fruit does not ripen till the end of September. 
The Wild Jujube (Zizyphus sativa spinosa), 
as it grows exposed to continual cropping and 
burning by the farmers, is nothing more than a 
shrub, but when left alone it attains the size of a 
small tree. The fruit of the wild plant is very 
small, with a large stone, and has a pleasant sour 
taste. The country people grind it up and make 
it into a sort of cake, very dry and powdery. The 
stem and branches of this plant are covered 
with long spines, some of which are straight and 
others hooked like an animal’s claw. It is thus 
extremely useful in hedge-making. Usually the 
Wild Jujube grows in dense thickets over grave 
patches, and as already stated, forms fine cover for 
pheasants and other small game. Like the cul- 
tivated variety, it comes into leaf very late in the 
season. 
Neither the Wild nor Cultivated Jujubes will 
grow at altitudes over 3,000 feet above sea level. 
There is a second subspecies of this plant recog- 
nized, which, owing to its gnarled and twisted 
branches and hooked spines, has been called the 
Dragon’s-claw Jujube (Z. s. tortuosa). This plant 
is used as an ornamental shrub. 
Another fruit-bearing tree, characteristic of the 
country, is the Persimmon (Diospyros). Though 
the majority of species or varieties belonging to 
this genus belong to Central China, yet a few 
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