MY FAVORITE FRUIT TREE - THE JUJUBE

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Zizyphus jujuba
FAMILY: Rhamnaceae

Jujube (pronounced almost any way you prefer) or 'Chinese date' is the most underrated and under-planted fruit tree that I know about. It is easily my favourite because it scores highest on my priority list:

  1. Quality and usefulness of fruit.
  2. Wide adaptability, ease of culture.
  3. Drought-resistance.
  4. Early, heavy production.
  5. Ornamental.
  6. Relative ease of propagation.
  7. Freedom from pests, diseases.

Although the jujube has been known and grown in Northern China for several thousand years, Syria is usually considered to be the country of origin. During the reign of Caesar Augustus it was carried to the Mediterranean countries of Europe. It was introduced into the United States in 1837, in North Carolina, and into California in 1876 (Sonoma Valley from Southern France).

When I first planted a jujube in 1964, the biggest challenge it presented was locating a tree for sale. Twenty-five years later the 'Chinese date' isn't much more available; only a few nurseries carry a thin supply. However, CRFG has provided some good articles in the interim and Roger Meyer and Pomona magazine (NAFEX) have been promoting the fruit actively and collecting any data available from any growers in this country.

Zizyphus jujuba is a member of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) which consists mainly of woody, sometimes spiny, shrubs and small and medium-sized trees. Related species include the Indian jujube (Z. mauritiana), which may produce good fruit in a warm, moist climate. The Texan jujube (Z. obtusifolia) is a spiny shrub that produces tiny, black fruits of poor quality. Z. parryi is native to southern Baja California and it produces fruit of one inch or less in size, quality unknown (to me). Z. lotus bears small, edible, inferior fruit. Z. joazeiro fruits abundantly to feed cattle in arid parts of Brazil.

Li and Lang are by far the main varieties of Z. jujuba grown in this country. Roger Meyer describes them so clearly that I realised that I had mislabeled (reversed) my trees. The superior Li bears a rounder, larger, earlier (August), more abundant fruit, which is sweeter over a wider range of ripeness - green-yellow to brown. Fruit of Lang is more pear-shaped, ripens in September-October on a very upright tree, and probably needs to turn brown to achieve its best flavor. Paul Thomson has long favored the variety 'Chico', described as tangy, full-flavored, with relatively spiny branches. The variety 'Sherwood', found growing in Louisiana by J.S. Akin, is said to be larger and to have denser-textured flesh.

Cultural requirements are decidedly unexacting - jujubes practically thrive on neglect. Any soil will suffice except the heaviest clay. Alkaline and salty conditions are all right. Once established, the trees can survive with very little water, although some irrigation is necessary for satisfactory fruiting. I use less than half the water that I apply to citrus trees. The roots go wide and deep and the competitive situation of a lawn location is well tolerated.

Jujubes are about the last trees to wilt on very hot, dry days and desert conditions are preferable to coastal buffering. Extremes of cold are also well tolerated - down to minus 30°F, I'm told. Tiny, white blossoms appear safely in June, and it is hoped that fruit can develop in areas as far north as Pennsylvania.

The trees grow at moderate speed to 20-25', and can be spaced at 15-20'. Light-green, shiny leaves on somewhat-drooping branches make these deciduous trees an ideal part of any edible landscaping plan.

Propagation is relatively easy, as suckers sprout rather plentifully from the roots, which may occur 40' from the trunk, well beyond the drip line. The sprouts, with roots, can be dug up, potted, planted and later wedge-grafted. Ungrafted, the young trees would no doubt bear primitive fruit, but at least they would be a source of seed. (Li and Lang seeds are said to be sterile). The hard seed cover needs to be carefully cracked. Cuttings generally need to be made from the roots, with a suggested size of 4-5 inches long and 3/16ths thick. Some trees are happily sold 'on its own roots'.

Jujube fruit is borne abundantly, yearly, often in the same year that it is planted. The fruit is very worthwhile, has two phases, and may even be marketable. Li, for instance, is best eaten off of the tree as it passes from green to yellow-green, just before or just as it's turning brown. It resembles a small apple in appearance and quality. The flesh is a bit lighter, less dense, with unobtrusive skin. It is white, brittle, sweet, with a flavor of its own, and seeds are often absent. The after-taste is so good that I often make several return trips to the tree, in rapid succession. Most people respond positively to the fruit.

The second phase of the edible fruit is the dried state, which occurs soon if the fruit is left on the tree, in the absence of ants. The fruit becomes date-like in texture and even in flavor. Boiled in honey or syrup, jujubes make excellent glacéd fruits. Soaked in any of a wide variety of liqueurs, they are an ideal after-dinner treat. They can also be made into fruit leathers. Juices obtained from the fruits were once used to make small candies called 'jujubes'. There is a frequent and intriguing mention in the old books of making a paste from the fruit to treat throat ailments. Wine, jelly, and cider may be considered as this 'rare fruit' becomes common.

Diseases are rare in jujubes - one possibility is Texas tree rot in desert plantings. The main pests are birds and ants and the latter should be excluded early, as they love this sweet fruit. Jujubes should be ideal for organic gardeners, as one should not need insecticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

Edward T. Hager, M. D.
Thousand Oaks, California
Extract from The Fruit Gardener Vol. 21 No.2

DATE: September 1989

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