ZJZIPHUS. 



Afric. n. 632. f. 632. Rhamnus X^otus ; Linn. Sp. PI. 

 l8i. " Desfont. in Aft. Paris, for 1788. 446. t. 21. 

 Mungo Park's Travels, 99, with a plate.") — Prickles in 

 pairs ; one of them hooked. Leaves elliptic-oblon g, flightly 

 crenate, three ribbed, fmooth on both fides. — Native of 

 Africa, efpecially of the kingdom of Tunis, " in a traft 

 called Jersedi which vcas formerly the country of the 

 Lotophagi. The Arabs know this plant by the name of 

 Seedra. It has the habit of a Rhamnus, and ihe flowers of 

 the Common Jujube. But the fruit is fmaller, rounder, and 

 fweeter ; the lize of Sloes, with a large ftone. This/rui/ is 

 borne on every part of the branches, like Goofeberries ; 

 whereas that of the Common Jujube grows only on the 

 flender annual (hoots, thrown out from the ends of the 

 branches. The Z. vulgaris is 20 feet, or more, in height, 

 with a large furrowed_/?('m, twilled branches, knotty at the 

 extremities, and larger oblong leaves ; but the Lotus is 

 fcarcely three or four cubits high, with numerous fhoots 

 from the fame root, which are fmoother, ftraighter, and 

 paler, or whitifh ; the leaves fmall, round, and more rigid. 

 The fruit is ripe, and fit for eating, in December and 

 January." Such is Dr. Shaw's very intelligent account ; 

 to which we may add, that the prickles grow in pairs, both 

 of them very ilraight, flender, and Iharp, when young, but 

 in procefs of time one becomes thick and hooked, the other 

 much elongated, remaining quite ftraight. The leaves are 

 at moll an inch long, perfeftly fmooth, naked, and green, 

 on both fides ; their three ribs foraetimes feparate, fome- 

 times more or lefs combined. 



6. Z. Napeca. Smooth Indian Jujube. Willd. n. 5. 

 Lamarck n. 11. (Rhamnus Napeca; Linn. Sp. PI. 282. 

 Rh. n. 87 ; Linn. Fl. Zeyl. 36. Jujuba indica fpinofa, 

 folio et fruftu longiori ; Pluk. Almag. 199. Prunus 

 zeylanica fpinofa, &c. ; Pluk. Phyt. t. 216. f. 6. Vidara 

 littorea ; Rumph. Amboin. v. 2. 119. t. 37.) — Prickles 

 generally in pairs, hooked. Corymbs axillary, many- 

 flowered. Leaves ovate, acute, finely ferrated, fmooth on 



both fides. Fruit elliptical Native of Ceylon, Amboyna, 



and other iflands of the Eall Indies. We know this only 

 by the fpecimen in the Linnsan herbarium, which does not 

 quite agree with the defcription in the Flora Zeylanica, the 

 leaves being neither oblique, unequal, nor bluntifli, but 

 exaftly as reprefented by Plukenet and Rumphius. The 

 branches are fomewhat zigzag, round, or a little angular, 

 ■with a fmooth whitifh bark ; rough with mealy down when 

 young, like the flower-buds, ilalks, and young leaves. 

 Prickles ftout, recurved, dark brown. Leaves an inch, or 

 an inch and a half long, elliptic-ovate, acute, tipped with a 

 fmall glandular point, finely and bluntly ferrated, ftrongly 

 three-ribbed ; paler and yellowifh beneath. Footflalks 

 quarter of an inch long, a little downy. Flowers very 

 numerous, in denfe, compound, downy or mealy, corymbofe 

 clufters, on Ihort axillary ilalks. Drupa like an ohve, 

 elliptical, or fomewhat ovate ; its flavour acid and aftringent. 

 Rumphius fays, this fruit is feldom eaten but with fait, or 

 as a fauce to filh or other food, for the purpofe of exciting 

 an appetite. Lamarck unites this fpecies, or at lead its 

 fvnonyms, with the Rhamnus Spina-Chrijli of Linnseus, of 

 which we fhall fpeak hereafter ; fee n. 15. 



7. Z. Jujuba. White-leaved Indian Jujube. Willd. 

 n. 6. Lamarck n. 6. Ait. n. 4. (Rhamnus Jujuba; 

 Linn. Sp. PI. 282. Rh. n. 89 ; Linn. FI. Zeyl. 36. 

 Manlfanas ; Sonnerat Nouv. Guin. 134. t. 94. Malum 

 indicum; Rumph. Amboin. v. 2. 1 17. t. 36. Perin- 

 toddali; Rheede Hort. Malab. v. 4. 85. t. 41.) — Prickles 

 folitary, deflexed. Corymbs axillary, many-flowered. — 

 Leaves roundilh-ovate, obtufe ; downy and fnow-white 



beneath -Native of the Eaft Indies. A ftove plant in 

 England, flowenng in April and May. When wild it 

 makes a tree of a moderate fize. The branches, fower-buds, 

 JIalks, and backs of the leaves, arc all white with fine, denfe 

 entangled, rather Harry, pubefcence. Form and fize of the' 

 leaves much like the laft, but rather rounder and more 

 blunt ; the margin crenate, or bluntly ferrated ; upper fide 

 very fmooth, of a fine green. Infiorefcence like the laft. 

 Mo'wcrs white ; fometimes fix-cleft and hexandrous. Style 

 divided. Z)/-«/)/z globular, or fomewhat heart-fliaped. Nut 

 rugged, with two green kernels. Sonnerat reckons this 

 Iruit among the beft that are the produce of New Guinea. 

 Kheede fpeaks of it as «' agreeably acid," and more olive- 

 ihaptd than m Sonnerat's figure. Cultivation perhaps may 

 account for thefe diff"erences. Hence we prefume Z. mau- 

 ritiaiia, Lamarck n. 7, may be but a variety of this. 



i.Z. Xylopyrus. Wooden-fruited Indian Jujube. Willd. 



"• 7 " Prickles folitary, recurved. Leaves ovate, rather 



acute, fomewhat heart-fliaped ; downy beneath. Flowers 

 corymbofe."— Native of defert places, at the bottoms of 

 hills in the Eafl; Indies. A tree, fcarcely taller than a man. 

 Branches hoary. Leaves broadly-ovate, often in fome 

 degree heart-fliaped, not unfrequently oblique ; unequally 

 ferrated ; dark coloured above ; clothed beneath with very 

 fine white down. Prickles few, fmall, folitary under each 

 footftalk. Flowers in axillary ftalked corymbs. Calyx 

 downy. Drupa dry, infipid, (lightly aftringent, larger than 

 a cherry. Nut rugged. Retzius, IVilld. Poflibly this 

 may be Z. rugofa; Lamarck n. 8, for which that author 

 cites Frutex bifnagaricus fpinofus, &C. ; Pluk. Phyt. t. 29. 

 f. 7. 



9. Z. Oenoplia. Velvet-leaved Jujube. Willd. n. 8. 

 Lamarck n. 5. Mill. Dift. ed. 8. n. 3. (Rhamnus 

 Oenoplia ; Linn. Sp. PI. 282. Rh. n. 88 ; Linn. Fl. 

 Zeyl. 36. Jujuba aculeata, nervofis foHis, infra fericeis, 

 flavis; Burm. Zeyl. 131. t. 61.) — Prickles folitary, conical, 

 recurved. Leaves unequally ovate, or half-heart(haped, 

 acute ; filky beneath. — Native of Ceylon. A fmall tree, 

 with downy branches, and fhort, thick, hooked prickles. 

 Leaves two inches long, very obfcurely ferrated ; remark- 

 ably uneven or oblique at the bafe, the three ribs alfo 

 being much nearer one margin than the other ; the under 

 fide finely filky and yellowifh ; the upper alfo filky while 

 young, but in a lefs degree. Flo'uiers in little denfe, filky, 

 axillary tufts. 



10. Z. iguanea. Lizard Jujube. Lamarck n. 4. 

 ( Rhamnus iguaneus; Linn. Sp. PI. 282. Jacq. Amer. 74. 

 Jujube americana fpinofa, loti arboris fohis et facie, fruftu 

 rotundo parvo dulci ; Commel. Hort. v. i. 141. t. 73.) — 

 Prickles in pairs, unequal, divaricated. Leaves ovate, 

 pointed, ferrated, fmooth on both fides. Clufters axillary, 

 monoecious. Petals wanting. Fruit roundifh. — Native of 

 the Weft Indies, as well as of the neighbouring continent, 

 in bulhy, rocky, or ftony places, where the Lacerta Iguana, 

 reported to be fond of this fruit, is likewife frequently to be 

 met with. This is an inelegant trailingyZirui, with round, 

 zigzag, fcarcely downy, branches. Leaves thin, pliant, 

 three-ribbed, very fmooth, two or three inches long, fome- 

 times more, Jacquin fays eight inches, though rarely, m 

 which cafe they are more elliptical. The prickles are long 

 and flender, in pairs under each footftalk ; one of them 

 always ftraight ; the (horteft fometimes curved, but not re- 

 markably. Flowers fmall, yellow, according to Jacquin 

 deftitute oi petals. Drupa roundilh or ovate, yellow, twice 

 the fize of a pea, with a fweet pulp, and a rugged nut, of 

 one cell. Willdenow feeras to have omitted this fpecies 



entirely. ^ 



II. Z. 



