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The Indian Jujube

by Gene Joyner, Extension Agent I
IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service

The Indian Jujube, Zizyphus mauritiana, is a beautiful evergreen tree up to forty feet or more from the Asian Tropics. The dark, rounded green leaves are very attractive and they have a light undersurface which is almost white. When the leaves flutter in the wind, the tree has a very attractive appearance.

The flowers are yellowish-white, borne in clusters along the leaf axils and this is shortly followed by the rounded fruit which can be anywhere from three-quarters of an inch to an inch-and-a-half in size. A layer of edible pulp surrounds the hard central stone and the fruits vary considerably in thickness and quality of the pulp. At maturity, fruits are generally light yellowish-orange to almost brown in color. Many people say that when these are eaten fresh, they have flavor somewhat resembling that of a green apple. Older fruits which have been allowed to sit for a few days before being eaten often will have a flavor almost like a date.

Trees are easily propagated by seeds, however, seedlings take two to three years to start fruit production. Superior varieties can be air-layered or grafted, but be careful because this tree does have quite formidable small spines. When pruning trees, one has to very careful about coming in contact with the short spines along the stems.

Trees grow well over a wide variety of soil types and seem to have very few insect problems. In wet weather, however, leaf diseases may attack the foliage, causing it to be brown- or black-spotted and unattractive for brief periods.

Trees should be fertilized two to three times a year with a good quality complete fertilizer for good growth and fruiting and the heaviest fruit production occurs during the early spring months. Often trees will bloom again during the late summer or early fall and have a second crop during autumn as well.

If one has an abundance of fruit, it can be frozen for long periods without any deterioration of quality.

Mature trees are quite cold hardy and can withstand temperatures down into the upper twenties without serious cold damage. Young trees, though, need to be protected at 32°F.

A close relative, the Chinese jujube, Z. jujuba, is often planted in Florida, but is better adapted for temperate climates rather than tropical climates. The quality of the fruit, however, with the Chinese jujube is much improved over the Indian jujube. Some selection and breeding work is currently being done on the Chinese jujube and hopefully varieties will be found that will be adapted for more tropical conditions.

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