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Ziziphus jujuba 'Sihong' |
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| | New leaves pushing out in early March |
| Synonym(s) |
Ziziphus zizyphus |
| Common name |
jujube; Chinese date |
| Family |
rhamnaceae |
| Life cycle |
tree (Z6-9) |
| Flowers |
creamy yellow (spring) |
| Size |
15-30' |
| Light |
sun |
| Cultural notes |
well drained soil, not too dry |
Small deciduous tree or large shrub with droopy and occasionally spiny branches, typically grown for its fruit, especially in Asia. Its small leaves are glossy green and finely serrated, and turn yellow in fall. Its white to yellowish green flowers, appearing in leaf axils in spring, are small and not showy, but they are fragrant. The inch-long fruit has a large single seed, and matures from green to red, with a crisp taste reminiscent of an apple. When left to further mature, the fruits turn wrinkly reddish brown like a date.
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| | Insignificant flowers appear in late March to early May |
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| | Closer up |
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| Starting in spring after we planted our tree, new growth started sprouting from near its base. Commercially grown jujubes are grafted, so the vigorous growth belongs to its rootstock, not the Sihong variety that lives above the graft. Indeed, jujubes are known for their suckering tendencies, often sprouting suckers quite far away from the mother tree. Interestingly, our sucker grew very fast, with thorny branches (unlike the main tree). It bloomed a month or two later than the Sihong part, but unlike the latter, it followed its blooms with fruit, developing by early August. From what I've read, the fruit won't be very tasty, but since it looks like I'll have to wait at least another year for Sihong fruit, I'm planning to let it ripen this year before I lop the sucker down.
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| | fruit and thorns on the suckering growth |
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| | vigorous sucker at the base of mama tree |
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| | Suckers grow fast – easily outsprinting the lawn grass between mowings |
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| Finally, after hurricane Beryl caught hold of our tree and tilted it at about a 15-degree angle, I decided I'd had enough: never any fruit, but lots of thorny suckers arising at ever further distances from the main tree (which by this time had grown to quite a tall upright stature). So mama tree met with a chainsaw and a chipper, with a sweetbay magnolia planted in its spot. But I'll be dealing with those suckers for a long time...
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| | Hurricane-tilted |
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| | Rest in peace, Sihong |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following area: right fence border About my plant portraits
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Last modified:
November 01, 2024
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