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Ziziphus jujuba 'Sihong'

 
Ziziphus jujuba 'Sihong'
jujube; Chinese date
Ziziphus jujuba 'Sihong'
New leaves pushing out in early March

Synonym(s) Ziziphus zizyphus
Common name jujube; Chinese date
Family rhamnaceae
Life cycle tree (Z6-9)
Flowers creamy yellow (spring)
Size 15-30'
Light sun
Cultural notes well drained soil, not too dry

Small deciduous tree or large shrub with droopy and occasionally spiny branches, typically grown for its fruit, especially in Asia. Its small leaves are glossy green and finely serrated, and turn yellow in fall. Its white to yellowish green flowers, appearing in leaf axils in spring, are small and not showy, but they are fragrant. The inch-long fruit has a large single seed, and matures from green to red, with a crisp taste reminiscent of an apple. When left to further mature, the fruits turn wrinkly reddish brown like a date.

jujube; Chinese date
Insignificant flowers appear in late March to early May
Ziziphus jujuba 'Sihong'
Closer up
Starting in spring after we planted our tree, new growth started sprouting from near its base. Commercially grown jujubes are grafted, so the vigorous growth belongs to its rootstock, not the Sihong variety that lives above the graft. Indeed, jujubes are known for their suckering tendencies, often sprouting suckers quite far away from the mother tree. Interestingly, our sucker grew very fast, with thorny branches (unlike the main tree). It bloomed a month or two later than the Sihong part, but unlike the latter, it followed its blooms with fruit, developing by early August. From what I've read, the fruit won't be very tasty, but since it looks like I'll have to wait at least another year for Sihong fruit, I'm planning to let it ripen this year before I lop the sucker down.

jujube; Chinese date
fruit and thorns on the suckering growth
Ziziphus jujuba 'Sihong'
vigorous sucker at the base of mama tree
jujube; Chinese date
Suckers grow fast – easily outsprinting the lawn grass between mowings

In our garden, this plant grows in the following area: right fence border

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