Ziziphus oenopolia (L.) Mill.

Miller, P. (1768) The Gardeners Dictionary Ed. 8 : no. 3.

Wine Jujube; Jujube, Wine

Usually grows as a vine but can flower and fruit as a shrub. Vine stem diameters to 5 cm recorded.

Leaf blades about 2-7.5 x 1-2.5 cm, oblique at the base, petioles about 0.3-0.8 cm long. Leaf blades marked with numerous (15-20) small serrate teeth on each side. Lateral veins about 5-10 on each side of the midrib. Stipules persist as curved spines, about 3-10 mm long, one stipule of each pair usually recurved and pointing downwards or sideways. Young leaves and twigs clothed in pale brown hairs.

Inflorescence short, not exceeding the leaves, scarcely exceeding the petioles. Pedicel and calyx sparsely hairy on the outer surface, calyx lobes about 1 mm long, petals spoon-shaped, glabrous, about 1-1.2 mm long, almost enclosing the anthers until anthesis. Ovary +/- immersed in a fleshy disk.

Fruits globular, about 8-10 mm diam. Seeds enclosed in a hard endocarp. Outer surface of the endocarp rugose or pitted. Cotyledons orbicular, much wider than the radicle.

Cotyledons elliptic to almost orbicular, about 8-10 x 4-11 mm, stipulate. First pair of leaves ovate to lanceolate, margins smooth or toothed. Stipules spinose, about 2 mm long. Stem hairy. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade ovate, about 10 x 5 mm, three-veined. Stipules spinose, about 2-3 mm long. Stem clothed in pale-coloured hairs. Leaves often produced on short lateral branches resembling compound leaves. Seed germination time 223 days.

Occurs in NT, CYP and NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 300 m. Occasionally grows in open forest but usually found in monsoon forest or vine thickets. Also occurs in Malesia and Asia.

This species has been used medicinally in India. Cribb (1981).