Home | > | List of families | > | Rhamnaceae | > | Ziziphus | > | mauritiana |
Synonyms: |
Ziziphus jujuba (L.) Lam. |
Common names: | Jujube (English) Musawu (Shona) |
Frequency: | Occasional |
Status: | Introduced and found as an occasional, naturalised escape. |
Description: |
Shrub or small to medium-sized tree, armed with distinct opposite pairs of hooked and near-straight spines. Leaves elliptic to broadly elliptic, hairless above, densely whitish tomentose below; base symmetrical or nearly so; 3-veined from the base; margin crenate-serrate. Flowers in axillary clusters, small, yellowish. Fruit a spherical drupe c. 2 cm. |
Type location: |
Mauritius |
Notes: |
The fruits are edible and used to make a potent distilled spirit. The (near) symmetrical leaves and the dense greyish-white hairs on the undersides of the leaves, distinguish this species from the indigenous Z. mucronata and Z. abyssinica. Around Harare, it is often found growing as a very low shrubby plant on roadside verges (see photo left). It is said never to bear fruit at these higher altitudes. |
Derivation of specific name: | mauritiana: from Mauritius |
Habitat: | Widely cultivated for its edible fruits, it occurs as a naturalized species in open woodland, particularly in the Zambezi Valley but also along roadsides in and around Harare. |
Altitude range: (metres) | Up to 1540 m |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Native to India, Mauritius and northern tropical Africa. |
National distribution: | N,C |
Growth form(s): | Tree. |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | Tarucus sybaris sybaris (Food plant) Epiphora mythimnia (Larval foodplant) |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Tuesday 6 February 2007 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 551. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1966). Rhamnaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(2) Pages 420 - 421. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 257. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 70. Maroyi, A. (2006). Preliminary checklist of introduced and naturalized plants in Zimbabwe. Kirkia 18(2) Page 237. |
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