Official Granary Jujube

Official Granary Jujube

　　Jujube, also known as longevity fruit, wanwei fruit, golden hook, chicken claw fruit, wood honey, pear jujube, or gou, belongs to the Rhamnaceae family and the Ziziphus genus of woody plants. It is a deciduous tree that can grow over 10 meters tall. The young branches, undersides of young leaves, petioles, and inflorescence axes are initially covered with short soft hairs, which later fall off. The leaves are elliptic-ovate, broadly ovate, or cordate-ovate, measuring 8–16 cm in length and 6–11 cm in width, tapering to a point at the tip, with a base that is either rounded or cordate, often asymmetrical, and edges with fine serrations. The upper surface of the leaf is hairless, while the underside along the veins or between them has soft hairs. The flowers are small, yellow-green, about 4.5 mm in diameter, and grow in axillary or terminal dichasial cymes; the petals are flattened and round; the styles often split halfway or deeply. The fruit stalk is fleshy, twisted, and reddish-brown; the fruit is nearly spherical, hairless, about 7 mm in diameter, and grayish-brown. The flowering period is in June, and the fruiting period is from August to October. The fruit stalk contains a large amount of glucose and potassium malate, becomes sweet after frost, and can be eaten raw or used for brewing wine, commonly referred to as "jujube." The fruit is also used medicinally as a cooling diuretic and can help relieve alcohol intoxication. "Jujube wine" is said to treat rheumatism. The wood has moderate hardness, a beautiful grain, and is used for construction, furniture making, and crafting fine arts and crafts.