PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Ziziphus mucronata
Rhamnaceae FAMILY

Ziziphus mucronata

Ziziphus mucronata

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

A plant of the drier tropics and subtropics, found at elevations from near sea level to 2,000 metres[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime annual temperature are within the range 12 - 30°c, though it can tolerate 8 - 36°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 400 - 800mm, but can tolerate 300 - 1,000mm[2]. The plant is resistant to at least some frost[1]. Requires a sunny position[1]. A very adaptable tree, growing in all types of soil and standing intense heat and cold equally well[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 8, tolerating 5 - 9[2]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1]. Plants are tolerant of salt-laden winds and some salt in the soil[1]. A fast-growing tree, under good conditions it can reach a height of 4 - 6 metres within 4 - 5 years[1]. Trees respond well to pollarding and coppicing[1].

Propagation

Seed - remove the flesh from around the seed then soak the seed in cold water for 6 hours[1]. Cover the seed in seedling trays with a thin layer of river sand and keep moist. Seeds usually germinate in 2 - 3 weeks with a minimum of 75% germination[1]. Seedlings transplant easily into black nursery soil but they have long taproots and care should be taken not to damage them[1]. Root suckers[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ziziphus+mucronata>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  3. [3]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  4. [4]Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. — Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D · Frontier · http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm · ISBN 1-873070-33-0 ↩︎A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet.
  5. [5]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  6. [6]Useful Trees and Shrubs in Eritrea — Bein. E.; Habte. B.; Jaber. A.; Birnie. A. & Tengnas. B. · Regional Soil Conservation Unit: Nairobi · 1996 · ISBN 9966-896-24-4 ↩︎A very well written and concise guide to almost 200 species. It gives a brief description of each plant together with its habitat, uses, propagation and cultivation. Line drawings of each plant are also included It can be downloaded from the internet