Ber and other Jujubes monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

with that programme write a specific monograph (Pareek, 2001). Similarly
other national programmes were recognizing that jujube species were
underutilised and could be given priority e.g. Chinese jujube in Azerbaijan
(Tagiev, 1992). In the New World there are some indigenous species of jujube
but none are considered economic. Chinese jujube has been introduced and
grown under plantation conditions in California and Florida. The USDA has
imported germplasm of ber and a small amount is cultivated in Florida.
In general, fruits of jujubes are used in areas where their products are fresh or
dried fruits (hence the names Chinese date and Indian date) for later use. A
range of processed products also exist wherever the species are grown.
1.2 The genus Ziziphus
Ziziphus P. Miller, Abbrev. Gard. Dict. 1754
Erect trees or small to large shrubs or semi-scandent shrubs or climbers; when
trees usually with a deep radicle, well developed; species may be spiny or not
but more commonly are so and species may be glabrous or relatively hairy. The
same species may occasionally be found with specimens which are trees and
others which are shrubs.
Leaves are alternate or rarely subopposite; they are simple and coriaceous or
membranous, acuminate, toothed or not, and 3-5-nerved from the base; the leaf
base is either asymmetrical, slightly asymmetrical or symmetrical. Leaves are
petiolated with stipules often spinous and branchlets often zigzag.
Flowers are 5-merous, actinomorphic and hermaphrodite. Flowers are borne
sometimes solitary or 2-3 together in axillary cymes or in umbels or racemes
arranged in terminal panicles or thyrses. Inflorescences may be pedunculate or
sessile.
Calyx with triangular acute lobes up to 2 mm long, dentate; calyx valvate,
keeled on the inside and the tube obconical. Petals also about 2 mm long,
unguiculate at the base, deflexed with the expanded parts about 1.5 mm wide.
The petals clasp the stamens or the filaments. Occasionally petals are absent.
Stamens 5 at least, partly adnate to the petal bases and filaments are inserted
under the edge of the disk; stamens usually exceed petals. Ovary is superior or
subinferior and sunk into the disk but not coherent with it and adnate to the
receptacle, the latter being obconical. The disk has 5 or 10 lobes, is rarely
entire and its margin is free. The ovary is 2-4 celled with 2-4 styles (usually 2)
which are distinct but can be somewhat connate. When 2-celled usually only 1
produces a seed.
2