Southern Ziziphus jujube, also known as four-eyed fruit, Hualang fruit, and snot fruit, is a Ziziphus jujube tree of the Anacardiaceae family. Distributed in Zhejiang, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places.
The core is large and very hard, with five eyes on the top, which has symbolized "five blessings" since ancient times. Deciduous tree, up to 20 meters high. The trunk is straight, the bark is grey-brown, the branchlets are thick, dark purple-brown, lenticels are glabrous, odd-numbered pinnate compound leaves are alternate, ovate-elliptical or oblong, the flowers are heterogeneous and different.
The male flowers and pseudohermaphrodites are lavender, arranged in terminal or axillary cymes. The female flowers are solitary in the upper leaf axils; the drupe is oval or obovate, yellow when mature, and the mesocarp is fleshy. Pulp shape, flowering period is April, fruiting period is 8-10 months.
Extended information
Southern Ziziphus jujube grows on slopes, hills or valley forests at an altitude of 300-2000 meters. There are introductions in Nanjing.
Vertical distribution is mostly below 1,000 meters above sea level, with an upper limit of 1,600 meters. It likes light and requires a humid environment. It has a wide range of heat requirements, can grow from the tropics to mid-subtropics, and can tolerate light frost.
This species grows quickly and has strong adaptability. It likes sunshine and is slightly tolerant of shade. It likes a warm and humid climate and is not cold-tolerant. It is suitable for growing in deep, fertile and well-drained acidic or neutral soil and is not tolerant of waterlogging. . It has shallow roots, strong germination ability, rapid growth, and the age of the tree can reach more than 300 years.
The wood structure is slightly thick, the heartwood is wide, light reddish brown, the sapwood is narrow, white to light reddish brown, the pattern is beautiful, and the planed surface is smooth. The material is flexible, has a small shrinkage rate, and can be processed into handicrafts. The fruit is sweet and sour and can be eaten raw, made into wine and processed into jujube cakes; the core can be used as a raw material for activated carbon; the leaves can be used as green manure; and the bark can also be used as a raw material for tannins and tannins.