Ziziphus jujuba Seeds | Jujube Chinese Tree
LATIN NAME: Ziziphus jujuba
COMMON NAME: Chinese Date, Jujube
Plant Profile
Chinese Date (Ziziphus jujuba) grows as a tree in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), native to warm regions of the east Asia, while it has been cultivated for its fruit for thousands of years. Given room and time, it reaches roughly Ten metres. Add these qualities together and you have a species well worth a place in the garden.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Ziziphus jujuba ranges from the botany of the buckthorn family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. The Chinese date has a real and distinguished place in research. With present-day seed handling, raising this species well within the reach of any careful grower.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Chinese Date has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. The Chinese date is a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree of warm regions, bearing glossy, bright-green leaves and small, sweet, reddish-brown, date-like fruits in the autumn. To raise the Chinese date, sow seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a warm, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow little trees on in the sun. Once it has settled, the workload drops to almost nothing.
Jujube fruit, Da Zao, is one of the most-used tonics in Chinese medicine and the Chinese kitchen, sweet, spirit-calming and rich in vitamin C; it harmonizes countless classical formulas and makes a delicious fresh or dried fruit.
Growing from Seed
Raising Chinese Date from seed is straightforward. Use a fine, free-draining seed compost, scatter the seed evenly, cover it lightly and hold it just moist in good light. A spell of cool, moist conditions ahead of sowing brings the seed along nicely and supports even germination. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Chinese Date, Jujube settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Attention to moisture in the first weeks pays off; later, the plant is forgiving.
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