ON THE JUJUBE AS A FRUIT TREE. 
301 
ON THE JUJUBE AS A FBUIT THEE. 
Several species of plants belonging to the genus Zizyphus are known by the name of 
Jujube, but the two chief ones, so called, are Zizyphus vulgaris, the Common Jujube, and 
Zizyphus Jujuba, the Indian Jujube. The first of these is the common one, found in such 
abundance in the neighbourhood of Genoa, where it forms excellent fences on account of 
its thorns. This kind is the Z. Jujube of Mill. Diet., Rhamnus Zizyphus of Linn., and 
the Z. sativa of Desfontaines. 
Z. Vulgarls forms a deciduous tree, growing to the height of 20 or 30 feet. Bark 
brown, and chapped. Branches numerous, pliant, armed with prickles, zigzag in their 
direction. Prickles at the joints, two, of unequal length, one somewhat curved and longer 
than the other, which is quite straight. Leaves alternate, oval-oblong, hard and leathery. 
Flowers small, axillary, pale yellow, with short peduncles. Fruit oval-oblong, resembling 
an olive, at first green, afterwards yellow, when quite ripe a deep rich red. Pulp fleshy, 
with a mild and vinous taste, having a very pleasant acid. Seeds two, inclosed in a nut 
having a long point or beak. 
The plant is a native of Syria, whence it was introduced to Borne in the reign of 
Augustus, and from thence to England, in 1640. It also grows wild in several parts of 
Asia, in Greece, Portugal, and Sicily. It is extensively cultivated on the shores of the 
Mediterranean, and in various parts of Italy, as far north as Genoa. Pliny speaks of their 
ornamental appearance, and mentions their being planted on the ramparts of Borne. Du 
Hamel also recommends the tree to be generally cultivated on account of the beauty of its 
foliage. In the south of France flowers are produced in early summer, and then the fruit 
ripens in the beginning of Autumn ; but in the neighbourhood of Paris the plant does not 
flower until the end of summer, and in consequence the fruit never comes to maturity. 
The fruit, when dried, makes a pleasant sweetmeat, and a syrup of them is employed 
in abating fevers, purifying the blood, and as a remedy for coughs and colds ; for the latter 
purpose, lozenges are prepared from the pulp. 
The plant prefers rather a dry soil, and when once established will bear a considerable 
degree of cold. It requires, however, the temperature of a moderate greenhouse to grow it 
to perfection, and an increase of heat during the time of growth, that the wood may be 
fully developed and ripened. 
Increase is effected by suckers, which are produced in abundance ; and by cuttings of 
the roots taken from either young or old trees. 
The Indian Jujube is the Zizyphus Jujuba of our Catalogues, and the Rhamnus 
Jujuba of Linn., Bumph., Bheed., and others. It is a native of India, and is extensively 
cultivated in China, and Cochin-China ; forming in those countries a tree 16 or 18 feet in 
height and branchy, armed with twin prickles at the joints, one recurved and the other 
straight : the Leaves are obliquely- ovate, serrated, downy beneath, hoary. Corymbs 
axillary, almost sessile. Flowers greenish yellow. Drupe globular, size of a large cherry, 
but long, almost of the shape of the date, smooth, yellow when ripe, containing a two- 
celled one-sided nut. 
In various parts of the East Indies there is another kind, called in Bengal Narrikellekool, 
which is probably only a variety of the Z. Jujuba, although the fruit is larger, being nearly 
the size of a hen’s egg. The fruit is universally eaten, and esteemed, and is served up as 
a dried sweetmeat in Italy, and the plants are also grown there as hedges, in the same way 
as Z. vulgaris. The bark is thought to be useful in medicine. The temperature of the 
greenhouse and similar treatment to that given to Z. vulgaris, is all that is required. 
