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Forestry
Champion Trees
Chinese Date Tree
or Common Jujube Tree
(Ziziphus jujuba Lam.)
Monroe County has another Winner; effective May 7, 2002, this unusual
specimen was proclaimed an Arkansas Champion Tree by the Arkansas Forestry Commission. It was nominated by retired Monroe County
Extension Agent Reggie Talley, and is the largest tree of its kind in Arkansas.
Congratulations to Louise Pearce!
The Chinese Date tree or Common Jujube tree (Ziziphus jujuba
Lam.), a member of the Buckthorn Family, Rhamnaceae, is considered to
be a native of the Orient. Robert Chisholm first introduced this plant into the
United States in 1837 at Beaufort, North Carolina. Originating 4000 years ago in
China, there have been more than 400 cultivars developed over time. Traveling
caravans introduced the plants to northern and eastern Asia, and they are grown
in Russia, southern Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and the
southwestern United States. Around 1908, the USDA introduced improved Chinese
selections.
A small deciduous tree, it is capable of reaching a height of 40 feet under
favorable conditions. Extremely tolerant to drought, it can thrive in alkaline
soils. Irrigation will assist in producing extra large fruits. Normally growing
as a multi-trunk tree, sometimes folks prefer to train the plant as a single
trunk. Graceful in appearance, the naturally drooping branches are often thorny
growing in a zig-zag pattern. The Pearce tree is a cultivar that is called
inermis (unarmed), however, the small plants arising from suckers or
seeds growing in the back yard are armed with two recurved thorns at the base of
the leaf petioles. The small, ovate to lanceolate leaves are one to three inches
in length and are very shiny bright green, turning a bright yellow in the
autumn. The 1/5 inch wide inconspicuous fragrant flowers are white to
greenish-yellow and produced in the axils of the leaves. These flowers develop
into drupes that vary from being round to elongated and from cherry size to
hen’s egg size depending on the cultivar. The thin skin of the edible fruit
surrounds a whitish flesh of agreeable taste. The single stone contains two
seeds. As the immature green fruit ripens, it goes through stages of
yellow-green, followed by mahogany colored spots, to a fully mature red. Shortly
after maturing it begins to wrinkle and dry giving rise to the vernacular name
Chinese Date. The Russians performed tests on the fruit and it proved to be very
high in vitamin C. The fruit and seeds have been used medicinally for centuries
by many cultures. A tea has been prepared from the fruit that is popularly used
to soothe a sore throat.
Thirty seven years ago, Russel and Louise Pearce had no idea that a six-inch
tall, odd little plant, given to them by Louise’s brother in Dallas, Texas,
would grow into this magnificent specimen tree. Nestled in the corner of
this fence and outbuilding is a verdant beauty known as the Chinese Date
tree or Jujube. This quiet, shady backyard arboretum is the home of numerous
interesting plants that share a vast collection of rocks from all over the
United States.
By: Reggie Talley
Retired Monroe County Extension Agent
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