Ziziphus

Ziziphus spina- christi

Ziziphus is a genus of the family of the buckthorn family ( Rhamnaceae ). It includes some 100 world almost tropical -based species.

Description

The Ziziphus species are more or deciduous, erect or creeping, often climbing growing shrubs or small to medium-sized trees. The leaves are three distinctly annoying, rarely pinnately arranged and alternate. Your stipules are often prickly.

The flowers are in achselbürtigen, screen grape-like cymes or terminal or achselbürtige thyrsi. The flower cup is flat hemispherical to bowl -shaped. The fleshy, flat discus is five to zehnlappig. Unlike many genera of the family petals are usually present. The two - to three -, rarely vierfächrige ovary is upper constant. The fruits are two - to three -, rarely unicompartmental stone fruit with a stone core.

Distribution and systematics

The genus was first described in 1754 by Philip Miller. Within the buckthorn plants the genus in the tribe Paliurieae is classified. The genus Ziziphus includes about 100 species and is found almost worldwide in the tropics, centers of diversity are the tropical Americas, and Southeast Asia. The types include:

• Ziziphus joazeiro
• Lotus jujube ( Ziziphus lotus )
• Indian jujube ( Ziziphus mauritiana )
• Ziziphus mucronata
• Ziziphus sativa
• Ziziphus spina- christi
• Chinese jujube ( Ziziphus zizyphus )