Summary ⁵

Ziziphus /ˈzɪzɨfəs/ is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, and 2–7 cm (0.79–2.8 in) long; some species are deciduous, others evergreen. The flowers are small, inconspicuous yellow-green. The fruit is an edible drupe, yellow-brown, red, or black, globose or oblong, 1–5 cm (0.39–2.0 in) long, often very sweet and...

Description ⁶

Trees, shrubs or suffrutices; stipular spines usually paired. Leaves alternate, petiolate; lamina minutely serrate, 3-5-veined from the base. Cymes axillary or rarely terminal. Flowers bisexual. Sepals 5. Petals 0 or 5. Disk flat, covering the receptacle, 5-10-lobed or rarely entire. Ovary 2(-4)-locular. Fruit a drupe, usually 2-seeded.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Dinesh Valke, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/91314344@N00/3013225288
2. Dov Grobgeld, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Ziziphus-areva-israel.jpg
3. (c) Pavel Buršík, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/77428.jpg
4. (c) Pavel Buršík, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/77429.jpg
5. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus
6. (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/19230004

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos

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