Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba)
Jujubes are tough, adaptable deciduous trees from China that produce delicious date-like fruits while offering distinctive ornamental appeal and exceptional drought tolerance. These attractive trees reach 10-20 feet tall with contorted, artistic branching and glossy bright green leaves that turn golden yellow in fall, creating multi-season interest. Fragrant light yellow flowers bloom in midsummer, providing excellent late-season forage for bees and beneficial insects when few other sources are available.
The small brown fruits, often called Chinese Dates, offer two distinct eating experiences: crisp and apple-like when eaten fresh and green, or sweet and chewy like dates when allowed to dry on the tree or after harvest. Rich in vitamin C and other nutrients, jujubes are among the most widely cultivated fruits in China, where they are highly esteemed for fresh eating, drying, candying, and use in traditional cuisine and medicine. These remarkably resilient trees tolerate extreme heat, poor soils, and drought once established, thriving where many fruits struggle.
Hardy to -10°F and requiring a long, hot growing season for optimal fruit production, jujubes ripen in late summer through fall. Two varieties are needed for cross-pollination and best fruit set. Suitable for USDA Zones 6-10, jujubes are ideal for water-wise edible landscapes, hot-climate orchards, and low-maintenance gardens seeking unique, nutritious fruits.
Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba)
Jujubes are tough, adaptable deciduous trees from China that produce delicious date-like fruits while offering distinctive ornamental appeal and exceptional drought tolerance. These attractive trees reach 10-20 feet tall with contorted, artistic branching and glossy bright green leaves that turn golden yellow in fall, creating multi-season interest. Fragrant light yellow flowers bloom in midsummer, providing excellent late-season forage for bees and beneficial insects when few other sources are available.
The small brown fruits, often called Chinese Dates, offer two distinct eating experiences: crisp and apple-like when eaten fresh and green, or sweet and chewy like dates when allowed to dry on the tree or after harvest. Rich in vitamin C and other nutrients, jujubes are among the most widely cultivated fruits in China, where they are highly esteemed for fresh eating, drying, candying, and use in traditional cuisine and medicine. These remarkably resilient trees tolerate extreme heat, poor soils, and drought once established, thriving where many fruits struggle.
Hardy to -10°F and requiring a long, hot growing season for optimal fruit production, jujubes ripen in late summer through fall. Two varieties are needed for cross-pollination and best fruit set. Suitable for USDA Zones 6-10, jujubes are ideal for water-wise edible landscapes, hot-climate orchards, and low-maintenance gardens seeking unique, nutritious fruits.
