{{Short description|Genus of shrubsand trees}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Zizyphus zizyphus Ypey54.jpg |image_caption = ''Ziziphus jujuba'', by Adolphus Ypey |taxon = Ziziphus |authority = Mill. (1754) |type_species = ''Ziziphus jujuba'' |type_species_authority = Mill. (1768), nom. cons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40028635 |title=Ziziphus Mill. |work=TROPICOS |publisher=Missouri Botanical Database |access-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = 68; see text |subdivision_ref = <ref name = powo>{{cite web |url= https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30447869-2 |title= ''Ziziphus'' Mill. |website=Plants of the World Online |access-date= 18 March 2024}}</ref> |synonyms = *''Chloroxylum'' {{small|P.Browne (1756)}} *''Jububa'' {{small|Bubani (1897)}} *''Mansana'' {{small|J.F.Gmel. (1791)}} *''Zizyphon'' {{small|St.-Lag. (1880), orth. var.}} |synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo/> }}
'''''Ziziphus''''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|z|ɪ|z|ᵻ|f|ə|s}}<ref>''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607</ref> is a genus of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It includes 68 species native to tropical and subtropical Africa, Eurasia, and Australia and tropical South America.<ref name = powo/> The leaves are alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, and often aromatic. The flowers are small, inconspicuous yellow-green. The fruit is an edible drupe, often very sweet and sugary, reminiscent of a date in texture and flavour.
Well known species include the commonly cultivated ''Ziziphus jujuba'' (jujube), ''Ziziphus spina-christi'' from southwestern Asia, ''Ziziphus lotus'' from the Mediterranean region, and ber (''Ziziphus mauritiana''), which is found from western Africa to India.
==Etymology== The genus name is derived via classical Latin from Hellenistic Greek, where it is presumed to have been borrowed from another language, perhaps from ''zizfum'' or ''zizafun'', the Persian word for ''Z. lotus''.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ndDtX-RjYkC |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names |volume=4 R–Z |year=2000 |first=Umberto |last=Quattrocchi |publisher=Taylor & Francis US |isbn=978-0-8493-2678-3 |page=2876}}</ref>
==Ecology== ''Ziziphus'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including ''Bucculatrix zizyphella'', which feeds exclusively on the genus, and ''Endoclita malabaricus''.
Species are distributed throughout the world in tropical and warm temperate areas, from rain forests to deserts. Some species are evergreen, others are winter or drought deciduous.
Species adapted to dry climates are smaller and have oleifera cells that produce a fragrant aroma.
==Uses== The temperate ''Ziziphus jujuba'' (Chinese jujube) and the tropical ''Ziziphus mauritiana'' (Indian Jujube) are economically important fruit trees.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), ''suan zao ren'' (''Ziziphus jujuba'') is considered to be sweet and sour in taste, and neutral in action. It is believed to nourish the heart yin, augment the liver blood, and calm the spirit (TCM medical terms).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suan Zao Ren - Sour Jujube Seed TCM Materia Medica |url=https://yinyanghouse.com/theory/theory/herbalmedicine/suan_zao_ren_tcm_herbal_database/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=Yin Yang House |language=en}}</ref> It is used to treat irritability, insomnia and heart palpitations.
==Mythology== The mythological lotus tree which occurs in Homer's ''Odyssey'' is often equated with ''Z. lotus''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/ZIZju.htm|title=Ziziphus jujuba, jujube | Trees of Stanford & Environs|website=trees.stanford.edu|accessdate=May 15, 2024}}</ref>
== Species == 68 species are accepted.<ref name = powo/> {{div col|colwidth=35em}} *''Ziziphus abyssinica'' <small>Hochst. ex A.Rich.</small> – dry zones of tropical Africa *''Ziziphus affinis'' {{small|Hemsl.}} *''Ziziphus andamanica'' {{small|Bhandari & Bhansali}} *''Ziziphus angustifolia'' {{small|(Miq.) Hatus. ex Steenis}} *''Ziziphus apetala'' <small>Hook.f. ex M.A.Lawson</small> *''Ziziphus attopensis'' <small>Pierre</small> * ''Ziziphus borneensis'' {{small|Merr.}} * ''Ziziphus brunoniana'' {{small|C.B.Clarke ex A.W.Hill}} * ''Ziziphus budhensis'' <small>Bhattarai & Pathak</small> – Central Nepal * ''Ziziphus calophylla'' {{small|Wall.}} * ''Ziziphus cambodiana'' {{small|Pierre}} – Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam * ''Ziziphus colombiana'' {{small|Suess. & Overkott}} * ''Ziziphus cotinifolia'' <small>Reissek</small> * ''Ziziphus crebrivenosa'' {{small|C.B.Rob.}} * ''Ziziphus cumingiana'' {{small|Merr.}} * ''Ziziphus djamuensis'' {{small|Lauterb.}} * ''Ziziphus elegans'' {{small|Wall.}} * ''Ziziphus fungii'' <small>Merr.</small> * ''Ziziphus funiculosa'' <small>Buch.-Ham. ex M.A.Lawson</small> * ''Ziziphus glabrata'' {{small|(B.Heyne ex Schult.) B.Heyne ex Wight & Arn.}} * ''Ziziphus globularis'' {{small|Wall.}} * ''Ziziphus guaranitica'' <small>Malme</small> * ''Ziziphus hajarensis'' <small>Duling, Ghaz. & Prend.</small> * ''Ziziphus hamur'' {{small|Engl.}} * ''Ziziphus havilandii'' {{small|Ridl.}} * ''Ziziphus hoaensis'' {{small|Pierre}} * ''Ziziphus horrida'' <small>Roth</small> * ''Ziziphus horsfieldii'' {{small|Miq.}} * ''Ziziphus hutchinsonii'' {{small|Merr.}} – Philippines * ''Ziziphus incurva'' <small>Roxb.</small> * ''Ziziphus javanensis'' <small>Blume</small> * ''Ziziphus jujuba'' <small>Mill.</small> – Jujube * ''Ziziphus kunstleri'' {{small|King}} * ''Ziziphus laui'' <small>Merr.</small> * ''Ziziphus leucodermis'' {{small|(Baker) O.Schwartz}} * ''Ziziphus linnaei'' {{small|M.A.Lawson}} * ''Ziziphus lotus'' <small>(L.) Lam.</small> – Mediterranean region * ''Ziziphus mairei'' <small>Dode</small> * ''Ziziphus mauritiana'' <small>Lam.</small> – widespread through Old World tropics and subtropics * ''Ziziphus melastomoides'' <small>Pittier</small> * ''Ziziphus montana'' <small>W.W.Smith</small> * ''Ziziphus mucronata'' <small>Willd.</small> buffalo thorn – southern Africa * ''Ziziphus nummularia'' <small>(Burm.f.) Wight & Arn.</small> – Thar Desert of India and Pakistan * ''Ziziphus oenopolia'' <small>(L.) Mill.</small> * ''Ziziphus otanesii'' {{small|Merr.}} * ''Ziziphus oxyphylla'' <small>Edgew.</small> * ''Ziziphus papuana'' {{small|Lauterb.}} * ''Ziziphus pernettyoides'' {{small|Ridl.}} * ''Ziziphus poilanei'' <small>Tardieu</small> * ''Ziziphus pubescens'' {{small|Oliv.}} * ''Ziziphus pubinervis'' <small>Rehder</small> * ''Ziziphus quadrilocularis'' <small>F.Muell.</small> – northern Australia * ''Ziziphus ridleyana'' {{small|Rasingam & Karthig.}} * ''Ziziphus rivularis'' {{small|Codd}} * ''Ziziphus robertsoniana'' {{small|Beentje}} * ''Ziziphus rubiginosa'' {{small|D.G.Long & Rae}} * ''Ziziphus rugosa'' {{small|Lam.}} * ''Ziziphus spina-christi'' <small>(L.) Desf.</small> * ''Ziziphus subquinquenervia'' {{small|Miq.}} * ''Ziziphus suluensis'' {{small|Merr.}} * ''Ziziphus talanae'' <small>(Blanco) Merr.</small> – Philippines * ''Ziziphus timoriensis'' {{small|DC.}} * ''Ziziphus trinervis'' <small>(Cav.) Poir.</small> * ''Ziziphus truncata'' <small>Blatt. & Hallb.</small> * ''Ziziphus williamii'' <small>Bhandari & Bhansali</small> * ''Ziziphus xiangchengensis'' <small>Y.L.Chen & P.K.Chou</small> * ''Ziziphus xylopyrus'' <small>(Retz.) Willd.</small> * ''Ziziphus zeyheriana'' {{small|Sond.}} {{div col end}} :[[File:شکوفه درخت کنار، بهبهان.jpg|alt=Ziziphus Blossom in Behbahan, Iran|thumb|Ziziphus Blossom in Behbahan, Iran]] Other list sources:<ref name=ipni>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipni.org:80/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do;jsessionid=44A10E90FF750D4F0B6194F0B7D945BE?find_family=&find_genus=Ziziphus&find_species=&find_infrafamily=&find_infragenus=&find_infraspecies=&find_authorAbbrev=&find_includePublicationAuthors=on&find_includePublicationAuthors=off&find_includeBasionymAuthors=on&find_includeBasionymAuthors=off&find_publicationTitle=&find_isAPNIRecord=on&find_isAPNIRecord=false&find_isGCIRecord=on&find_isGCIRecord=false&find_isIKRecord=on&find_isIKRecord=false&find_rankToReturn=spec&output_format=normal&find_sortByFamily=on&find_sortByFamily=off&query_type=by_query&back_page=plantsearch |title=Query Results for Genus Ziziphus |publisher=IPNI|access-date=August 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name=GRINSpecies>{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?13055 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001031063613/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?13055 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2000-10-31 |title=GRIN Species Records of Ziziphus |work=GRIN |publisher=USDA|access-date=2010-10-16 }}</ref><ref name=fb>{{cite web |url=https://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br/search?taxon_id=10489 |title=Classificação segundo a Flora brasiliensis |website=florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br|language=pt |access-date=August 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name=foc>{{cite web |url=http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=3&start_taxon_id=135333 |title=Ziziphus species list |work=Flora of China |publisher=EFloras|access-date=September 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name=colc>{{cite web |url=http://csvh.org/cnnode/browse_taxa.php?selected_taxon=11405 |title=Genus Ziziphus |author=The Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences |year=2008 |publisher=Catalogue of Life China: 2008 Annual Checklist China|location=Beijing, China |access-date=September 9, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name=rbge>{{cite web |url=http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Ziziphus&SPECIES_XREF=&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= |title=Flora Europaea: ''Ziziphus'' query results |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh|access-date=September 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=28594 |taxon=''Ziziphus'' |access-date=2010-03-08}}</ref>
===Formerly placed here=== * ''Condaliopsis obtusifolia'' {{small|(Hook. ex Torr. & A.Gray) Suess.}} – Lotebush (as ''Ziziphus obtusifolia'' <small>(Hook. ex Torr. & A.Gray) A.Gray</small>) * ''Pseudoziziphus celata'' {{small|(Judd & D.W.Hall) Hauenschild}} (as ''Ziziphus celata'' <small>Judd & Hall</small>) * ''Pseudoziziphus parryi'' {{small|(Torr.) Hauenschild}} – Parry's Jujube (as ''Ziziphus parryi'' <small>Torr.</small>) *''Sarcomphalus mistol'' {{small|(Griseb.) Hauenschild}} (as ''Ziziphus mistol'' <small>Griseb.</small>) * ''Ziziphus lloydi'' <small>A.Gray</small>
===Fossil species=== * † ''Ziziphus hyperboreus'' <small>Heer</small> (Greenland, Eocene fossil) * † ''Ziziphus wyomingianis'' <small>Berry<!--Likely this is the Berry referred to in the source, as he was past pres. of the Paleontological Society of America--></small> (Tipperary, Wind River Basin Wyoming, USA, Eocene fossil)<ref name=USGS165>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hUIRAAAAIAAJ&q=parthenocissus+inosculation&pg=PA73|title=Geological Survey professional paper, Issue 165: Shorter Contributions to General Geology|publisher=US Govt. Printing Office|year=1930|page=73|access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> :† = Extinct
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Ziziphus zizyphus foliage.jpg|''Ziziphus jujuba'' foliage File:Ziziphus jujuba MS 2461.JPG|Dried fruits (azufaifas) in southern Spain of ''Ziziphus jujuba'' File:Azufaifas (fcm).jpg|Azufaifas from Almería File:Indian jujube (fruit).jpg|''Ziziphus mauritiana'' File:Ziziphus oenoplia W IMG 3626.jpg|''Ziziphus oenoplia'' in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India File:Ziziphus oenoplia W2 IMG 3624.jpg|''Ziziphus oenoplia'' in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India File:Ziziphus spina-Christi.jpg|''Ziziphus spina-christi'' File:Ziziphus caracutta syn Z xylopyra (Ghatbor) in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9259.jpg|''Ziziphus xylopyrus'' in Hyderabad, India File:Ziziphus caracutta syn Z xylopyra (Ghatbor) in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9256.jpg|''Ziziphus xylopyrus'' in Hyderabad, India File:Ziziphus caracutta syn Z xylopyra (Ghatbor) in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9255.jpg|''Ziziphus xylopyrus'' in Hyderabad, India File:Iran Zizyphus.JPG|Persian ''Zizyphus'' in Iran File:شکوفه درخت کنار، بهبهان.jpg|alt=Ziziphus Blossom in Behbahan, Iran|''Ziziphus'' blossom in Behbahan, Iran File:میوه درخت کنار، بهبهان.jpg|alt=Ziziphus Fruit, Behbahan, Iran|''Ziziphus'' fruit, Behbahan, Iran </gallery>
==References== {{Commons category}} {{Wikispecies}} {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q310492}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Ziziphus Category:Rhamnaceae genera Category:Taxa named by Philip Miller