Ziziphus mauritiana - Buffalo Thorn, Indian Jujube

Ziziphus mauritiana, rarely offered as the Buffalo Thorn or Indian Jujube, is another fascinating species of jujube. Unlike the better-known Ziziphus jujuba, it has more evergreen foliage, larger fruits, attractive decorative leaves and impressive, large thorns. However, it is considerably less hardy and needs to be overwintered frost-free and kept on the dry side during winter.

Native to subtropical regions of Southern Asia, including Malaysia and Indonesia, it is also widely cultivated in parts of Africa and Australia.

The fruits can reach the size of a small apple and, like other jujubes, can be enjoyed either green and crisp or left to dry and blet, when they become sweeter and softer. They are slightly less sweet than the Chinese Date, but have a thicker layer of flesh around the seed.

Ziziphus mauritiana grows well in a large container and, given sufficient warmth and a frost-free winter, can produce fruit even when grown in the UK.

The intended main use of this plant is to grow food for human consumption. We always recommend further research to learn the different ways in which the food source can be prepared and consumed.