Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana, Lam. 1789)

Identity

Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam., 1789), also called ber in India, is a thorny shrub or small tree in the Rhamnaceae family. The epithet mauritiana refers to Mauritius, where Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck observed and described the plant in 1789. It is not native to the island: it had been introduced and cultivated there before its description. ^{1 2}

Confusion with Ziziphus jujuba, the jujube of temperate Asia, is common. Both bear edible fruit and belong to the same genus, but Z. mauritiana is tropical to subtropical and becomes sensitive around 7 °C (45 °F), whereas Z. jujuba tolerates frost and can be grown in temperate climates. ²

Recognition

Depending on conditions, Indian jujube ranges from a 1.5–2 m shrub (5–7 ft) to a 10–15 m tree (33–49 ft). Its drooping branches have zigzag branchlets, often armed with straight or hooked thorns, although some horticultural forms lack them. Alternate, oval leaves measure 2.5–9 cm (1–3.5 in) long. Their upper surface is glossy green and their underside has whitish or brownish hairs; three veins rise from the leaf base. ^{2 7}

Small, greenish-yellow flowers occur in groups of two or three in the leaf axils. They depend on cross-pollination by bees, wasps or flies. ²

An oval drupe develops from the flower, measuring about 2.5 cm (1 in) in wild forms and up to 6 cm (2.4 in) in some cultivars. Green unripe fruit becomes yellow, orange or wrinkled reddish brown at full maturity. The flesh is white and crisp when partly ripe, then beige, soft and musky when overripe. ^{2 3}

Useful taxonomy

The accepted botanical name is Ziziphus mauritiana Lam., with Ziziphus indica Chaz. listed as its sole synonym at species rank. Names once treated as distinct species, including Ziziphus mairei (H.Lév.) Browicz & Lauener, Ziziphus poiretii G.Don and Ziziphus rotundata DC., have been placed in synonymy following comparison of collections. ¹

Recognized varieties include Ziziphus mauritiana var. mauritiana, var. pedunculata Bhandari & Bhansali and var. spontanea (Edgew.) R.R.Stewart ex Qaiser & Nazim., described mainly from Indian populations. Common names such as ber, Indian jujube and Chinee apple vary with place and usage. The accepted scientific name remains a reliable reference when buying or identifying a plant, distinguishing it from Ziziphus jujuba and Ziziphus spina-christi. ¹

Habitat and range

South Asia, including India, southern China, Southeast Asia, and central and western Africa make up the native range. Indian jujube subsequently spread widely through the Old World tropics and subtropics, from southern Africa through the Middle East to China and Australasia. ^{2 1}

Warm climates with annual rainfall of 125–2,225 mm (5–88 in) support the plant. It grows on poor sandy to loamy soils and tolerates alkalinity up to pH 9.2, as well as substantial salinity. These soil tolerances help explain both its success in semiarid areas and its ability to withstand temporary waterlogging. ²

Fruit growing brought the species to Australia and Fiji. Known there as Chinee apple, it now forms dense invasive thickets; in Queensland it is a category 3 restricted invasive plant. These stands displace native grasses and herbs and threaten birds such as the black-throated finch. ^{4 5}

Life cycle and reproduction

Over several months of favorable weather, flowering relies on cross-pollination by bees, wasps and some flies. A mature tree in a suitable position can bear 5,000–10,000 fruits a year if seed-grown, and a selected grafted tree can produce up to 30,000. ^{2 3}

Seed raising supplies rootstocks, but maintaining a cultivar requires shield budding, also called T-budding, which has largely replaced ring budding. Air layering also works on wood more than two years old when treated with indolebutyric acid and boron. ³

Within the native range, harvest extends from autumn through early spring, depending on the cultivar. These differences spread production across several months. Outside cultivation, each shrub produces more than 5,000 seeds per fruiting cycle, helping explain the speed at which invaded areas are colonized. ^{3 5}

Uses and risks

Edible fruit accounts for most uses. It is eaten fresh like a small apple, sometimes lightly salted while partly ripe, dried like dates, made into jam or juice, or ground into powder for use out of season. The fruit is known for its high vitamin C content, ranking just behind guava among common fruits. ^{3 7}

Livestock eat the leaves, while the wood provides construction material, tools and fuel. Flowers yield a valued amber honey. Traditional medicine uses dried leaf powder for diabetes, bark for diarrhea, and seeds as a mild sedative; these are traditional uses rather than established treatment recommendations. ^{2 3}

No toxicity from the fruit is documented in humans or domestic animals. Some sources report irritation from high doses of bark or root, and the fruit has occasionally been used to stupefy fish in Ethiopia. Alongside these gaps in toxicity data, the clear physical hazard is the thorns: thick gloves protect hands during harvesting and pruning. ³

Fruit flies pose the main threat in orchards. Other problems include powdery mildew, leaf rust, graft-transmitted witches' broom, and dodder, a parasitic plant that twines around the branches. ^{3 2}

Varieties, look-alikes and related plants

Indian commercial production includes several prominent cultivars: large-fruited Umran, early and sweet Gola, and Seb, valued for its performance in Rajasthan's arid climate. Banarasi Karaka adds a midseason cultivar prized for flavor. ⁹

Look-alikes include Ziziphus jujuba, which is more frost-hardy and usually has larger fruit, and Ziziphus spina-christi. The latter has a more conspicuous pair of stipular thorns, one straight and one curved, than Z. mauritiana. ²

Before buying a tree or fruit, check four things: the scientific name, whether the cultivar is thorny or thornless, its stated geographic origin, and the cold tolerance being claimed. A jujube sold as tropical may actually be Z. jujuba, which needs much less heat. ⁸

Main sources

• Plants of the World Online / Kew, Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.
• English Wikipedia, Ziziphus mauritiana
• Purdue University NewCrop, Morton, Indian Jujube
• Business Queensland, Chinee apple - restricted invasive plant
• Plants (MDPI) 2023, Chinee Apple - review of weediness, ecological impacts and management
• IUCN Red List 2025, Ziziphus mauritiana assessment
• Pl@ntUse / PlantNet FR, Ziziphus mauritiana
• INPN MNHN, Ziziphus mauritiana Lam., 1789
• Fruits (EDP Sciences) 2007, Introduction of Ziziphus mauritiana jujube cultivars