Ziziphus jujube seeds chinese Ziziphus tree

LATIN NAME: ZIZIPHUS JUJUBA

COMMON NAME: Chinese Date, Jujube

The Ziziphus jujuba, or Chinese date, is one of the oldest and most important of the fruit trees, and its small, sweet, reddish-brown, date-like fruits and its spiny, branching habit have made it a tree of the warm woodlands and the orchards across the regions of the East Asia for thousands of years. It grows as a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree or a large shrub of the buckthorn family, reaching up to ten metres or more, with the spiny, branching stems and the alternate, glossy, bright-green, oval leaves, and bearing, in the late spring, the small, yellow-green flowers in the clusters, followed by the small, round, sweet, reddish-brown, date-like fruits which ripen in the autumn and can be eaten fresh or dried. It is a species of the flowering tree, native to the warm regions of the East Asia, while it has been cultivated for its fruit for thousands of years and is now grown across the warm regions of the world, and it is known as the Chinese date or the jujube.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Chinese date has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the horticulture and the fruit science, since the Ziziphus jujuba is one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees and a popular fruit of the East Asia, and the researchers have examined its many cultivars, its cultivation and its value as a fruit, while the study of the ancient fruits has drawn attention in the international horticultural and agricultural press. The tree has also been studied in the food science and the nutrition, since the Chinese date produces the sweet, nutritious fruits which are rich in the sugars, the vitamins and the minerals, and the researchers have examined the fruits, their composition and their nutrition, while the study of the dried fruits has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the botany and the taxonomy, since it is a member of the buckthorn family and a relative of the other jujubes and the buckthorns, and its relationships, its distribution and its many cultivars have been examined, while the glossy leaves and the sweet, reddish-brown fruits of the Chinese date have been of interest to the botanists and the fruit growers. For a fruit of such antiquity, the Ziziphus jujuba has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Chinese Date from seed, the Chinese date is a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree of the warm regions, bearing the glossy, bright-green leaves and the small, sweet, reddish-brown, date-like fruits in the autumn. Its fruits are a food for the birds and the wildlife, and its spiny, branching habit gives a fine hedge and a windbreak in the warm landscape, while its sweet, nutritious fruits are a popular fruit in the East Asia and across the world. Its economic value is real: the Chinese date is prized for its sweet, nutritious fruit and as a useful, drought-tolerant tree for the warm landscape, and its value has drawn attention in the international horticultural and food press, while the sweet fruits and the easy cultivation have made it a favourite of the orchards and the warm gardens, and the tree is a fine addition to the orchard, the warm garden and the hedge. To raise the Chinese date, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the sun.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep the young jujube gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the sun.

Ziziphus jujube is a fast growing small deciduous fruiting tree or shrub reaching a height up to 35 feet, usually with thorny branches. The small oval, shiny, bright green leaves are 1 to 2 inches long and turn bright yellow before falling in the autumn. The small mildly fragrant flowers are about ½ inch in diameter with five inconspicuous yellowish-green petals. The tree flowers from late spring through the summer. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.  The fruit then forms in drupes, varying from round to elongate and from cherry to plum size. The edible skin surrounds white, crisp, sweet flesh with an inner stone containing two seeds. When immature the fruit is smooth-green, with the consistency and taste of an apple, maturing brown to purplish-black and eventually wrinkled, looking like a small date.   The fruit can be eaten fresh, dried like dates or cooked in puddings, cakes, breads, jellies, soups, etc. The dried fruit has the nicest taste. The fruits are often left to become wrinkled and spongy, which increases their sweetness, and are then eaten fresh or cooked. The dried fruit can also be ground into a powder. This powder is used in the preparation of 'kochujang', a fermented hot pepper-soybean paste that resembles miso. The fruit can be used as a coffee substitute.   Jujube is both a delicious fruit and an effective herbal remedy. It aids weight gain, improves muscular strength and increases stamina. In Chinese medicine it is prescribed as a tonic to strengthen liver function. Japanese research has shown that jujube increases immune-system resistance. Antidote, diuretic, emollient, expectorant. The dried fruits contain saponins, triterpenoids and alkaloids. They are anodyne, anticancer, pectoral, refrigerant, sedative, stomachic, styptic and tonic. They are considered to purify the blood and aid digestion. They are used internally in the treatment of a range of conditions including chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, pharyngitis, bronchitis, anemia, irritability and hysteria. The root is used in the treatment of dyspepsia. A decoction of the root has been used in the treatment of fevers. The root is made into a powder and applied to old wounds and ulcers. The leaves are astringent and febrifuge. The plant is widely used in China as a treatment for burns.   Common Names: Jujube, Chinese Date, Tsao Zone: 6 to 9 (possibly 5) Growth rate: Slow-Moderate Plant Type: Deciduous Fruiting Tree Family: Rhamnaceae Native Range: China Height: 15 to 35 feet Spread: 15 to 25 feet Bloom Time: Spring Bloom Color: yellowish-green Flower/Fruit: .25" yellowish fragrant flowers in late spring followed by edible .5 to 1" shiny, dark red to black fruit. Sun: Full sun Fall Color: Yellow Drought tolerance: High Water: Medium Maintenance: Low Culture: The trees need a hot dry summer if they are to fruit well. Fast growing and quick to mature, it can fruit in 3-4 years from seed.     Sowing Ziziphus jujube Seeds: Scarification, warm and cold stratification and moisture enhance germination. Chinese Date needs a warm spell then a cold spell in order to mature the embryo and reduce the seed coat. Scarify: Pour hot water over seeds. Soak for 24 hours Stratify: Warm 90 Days, Cold 90 days, 40 Degrees F Germination: Sow 1/2” deep