Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam.
Eng.: Wild jujube. Spa.: Azufaifo, arto. Fre.: Jujubier sauvage. Ara.: Sedra, sidr, sidr barri, djedjer, azar, azuggwar, rubeida, ennbeg, nbeg. Tam.: Azuggwar, bazeggur, anzagn, hozuggart, tazura, azareur, azar, tazuggert, asennan, amzmem, bazezur, uari; the fruit: ibakaten. Tamahaq: Tabakat.
Shrub or small tree, deciduous, hermaphrodite, spiny, up to 3(4) m in height. In the eastern Rif there are some old tree specimens with a well defined trunk, but the norm for this species (at least currently) is to be a highly ramose hemispherical shrub, with branches in zig-zag, very intricate and spiny, without a well defined trunk. Stems and old branches with smooth bark, slightly fissured, greyish. Branchlets glabrous, greyish, young branchlets of the current year greenish. Stipules spiny, of 2 types, one straight and long, and the other curved and shorter. Leaves alternate, deciduous in winter —new leaves do not emerge until the summer— (1-2.5 × 0.8-1.5 cm), ovate or elliptic, obtuse, attenuate or rounded at the base, with slightly crenate margin, with only 3 longitudinal veins, slightly coriaceous, glabrous, light green on the upper side and slightly matt on the underside. Inflorescence in sparse axillary cymes, but because they are bunched together the branch seems to be full of flowers. Calyx greenish-yellow, very open, with 5 triangular sepals opened in star-shape. Petals 5, very small and 5 stamens that grow together and are alternately arranged with the sepals. Fruit drupaceous, globose, reddish, 10-15 mm in diameter.
Flowering:
May to July.
Fruiting:
August to October.
Habitat:
Thickets, savannahs and steppes, from almost sea level to mid mountain. From arid to subhumid bioclimate, on inframediterranean to lower mesomediterranean floors.
Distribution:
Central-southern Mediterranean region, reaching towards the E to Arabia. In North Africa it is a very common species in the driest zones of the Mediterranean area and the northern Sahara, from Morocco to Egypt.
Observations:
In addition to the type subspecies, another subspecies has been described, Z. lotus subsp. saharae (Batt. & Trab.) Maire (Z. saharae Batt. & Trab.) differentiated by its leaves, which are pubescent on both sides and strongly serrated. It grows in the southern Sahara, reaching towards the N to the central and western Sahara (Adrar Suttuf).
Conservation status:
Common and widely distributed species, not considered threatened. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In Tunisia it is included in its List of native species that are rare and threatened with extinction (Order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, 19-July-2006). In the Red List of vascular plants of Egypt (Flora Aegyptiaca Vol 1, 2000) it is listed as “Endangered”.