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JUJUBE, TSAO, OR CHINESE DATE
Zizphus jujuba Mill., family Rhamnaceae

The common jujube, tsao, or Chinese date, is grown occasionally in the Southern States and California for its edible fruits or as an ornamental. No great importance is attached to this fruit in the United States.

Plant:

The jujube is a small dicidous tree that may grow to 30 feet tall. It may have spines at the base of the strongly three-veined alternate leaves. The rather dry, edible, ovoid, orange to brown 1/2 to 11/2- inch long fruit is simialr to a plum or date. It has white flesh and a hard, two-celled stone. The fruit is eaten fresh, in cakes, candied, or used as a dessert. It makes a refreshing drink and is rich in vitamin C (Purseglove 1968*).

Inflorescence:

The flowers appear about mid-May at Chico, Calif., and reach their peak within 2 to 3 weeks but may continue sporadically until August. They are small greenish to yellow, in short axillary cymes, with five sepals, five petals, five stamens, and a two-celled ovary with a two-part style (fig. 118).

Ackerman (1961), who made a rather thorough study of this plant, stated that the anthers dehisce as soon as the flower opens but that the stigma becomes receptive and nectar secretion starts sometime later (Thomas 1924), with little fruit set after the first 24 hours.

[gfx] FIGURE 118. - Longitudinal section of jujube flower, x 20.

Pollination Requirements:

Ackerman (1961) noted that some clones develop fruit from self-pollinated flowers but few set appreciable crops by this means. Such fruit is usually smaller than normal and tends to drop prematurely. He concluded that cross-fertilization between compatible clones was essential for the developement of viable seed and the setting of a full crop of fruit.

Pollinators:

Ackerman (1961) stated that flies and beetles were of no value as pollinators of jujubes. He used honey bees.

Pollination Recomendations and Practices:

None.

LITERATURE CITED:

ACKERMAN, W. L. 1961. FLOWERING, POLLINATION, SELF-STERILITY AND SEED DEVELOPEMENT OF CHINESE JUJUBES. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. Proc. 77: 265-269.

THOMAS, C. C. 1924. THE CHINESE JUJUBE. U. S. Dept. Agr. Dept. Bul. 1215, 30 pp.

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