A thorny shrub or small tree bearing small, round, apple-like edible fruit.
The Indian jujube or ber (Ziziphus mauritiana, family Rhamnaceae) is a much-branched, thorny, evergreen tree with a spreading crown, up to 15 metres tall with a trunk 40 cm or more across; in harsh climates it is usually a compact shrub of 3 to 4 metres. It can spread by suckers into a thicket. It is a valuable fruit crop, widely grown in South-East Asia and occasionally in Africa, Australia, the Pacific and the Americas.
It is native to Asia, from China, India and Sri Lanka through South-East Asia to Australia, especially on sandy soils in dry regions, in coastal thickets, dry woodland and along riverbanks, up to 1,800 metres. It is very hardy, thriving in hot, dry climates as well as humid ones, with rainfall from 125 mm to over 2,000 mm a year. It grows in sun on almost any well-drained soil, including poor, alkaline, salty or occasionally waterlogged ground; its strong roots make it very drought-tolerant, and it resists salt-laden winds. Fruit is best under hot, sunny, dry conditions after a rainy season. Because it grows fast, forms thickets and fruits prolifically, with birds and mammals spreading the seed, it has become a declared noxious weed in parts of Australia.
Source: Useful Tropical Plants database (Fern, K.).
Leaves, bark, and roots are used in traditional medicine for fever, diarrhoea, wounds, and inflammation.
Fruit is eaten fresh or dried, and made into juices, jams, and pickles; leaves are browsed by livestock.
A hardy, drought-tolerant tree propagated by seed or grafting; grows wild and is also cultivated for its fruit.