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

Less serious, but also a constraint, is that accounts and naming of species,
although they may be based on very wide geographical areas, have not
included inter-regional comparisons. For instance, Johnston (1972) considered
possible affinities between Z. lotus of Mauritania and the Sahara, and Z. hamer
of East Africa and Z. leucodermis (Baki) O. Schwartz of Arabia but concluded
that a thorough field study is desirable.
Lastly, in understanding the complexity of the taxonomy of Ziziphus species,
hybridisation can be a problem. Confusing species boundaries and names have
been given to some stabilised segregates. This will be discussed in Chapter 8.
1.4 The major cultivated species
1.4.1 Indian jujube
Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.
Synonyms
Z. jujuba (L.) Lam.
Z. jujuba (L.) Gaertn. (including var. stenocarpa Kuntze and forma
aequilatrifolia Engl.)
Z. tomentosa Poir.
Z. rotundata D.C.
Z. aucheri Boiss.
Z. insularis Smith
Z. sororia Roem. and Schult.
Z. orthocantha D.C.
The species has a wide range of morphologies from shrubs to small or mediumsized
trees which might be erect, semi-erect or spreading. Height can vary from
3-4 to 10-16 m or more although trees of 20 m are rare. Trees are semideciduous
and much branched. The bark has deep longitudinal furrows and is
greyish brown or reddish in colour. Usually the shrub or tree is spinous, but
occasionally unarmed.
Branchlets are densely white pubescent, especially when young and tend to be
zig-zag. Branches erect and spreading, becoming flexuous and dull browngrey.
Fruiting branches are not deciduous.
Leaf laminae are elliptic to ovate or nearly orbicular, (1.3-)3-8(-12) cm long
and (0.4-)1.5-5(-6.5) cm at the widest point. The apex is rounded, obtuse or
subacute to emarginated, the base rounded, sometimes cuneate, mostly
symmetrical or nearly so. Margins are minutely serrulate. There are 3 marked
nerves almost to the apex, the nerves being depressed in the upper, light or dark
green, glabrous surface. Lower surface is whitish due to persistent dense hairs
but may be buff coloured. Occasionally the lower surface is glabrous.
4