Ziziphus Mauritiana, Gol Ber - 0.5 kg Seeds

Ziziphus mauritiana (Ziziphus mauritiana), the Indian jujube or ber, called gol ber, is a hardy, spiny small tree or large shrub growing 5-12 m with drooping, often thorny branches and glossy oval leaves that are whitish and downy beneath. It bears tiny greenish-yellow flowers followed by round to oval fleshy fruits that ripen yellow to reddish-brown, eaten fresh, dried or made into preserves. Native to the Indian subcontinent, it is one of the toughest fruit trees of the dry plains and is grown throughout the arid and semi-arid regions of India.

It is grown chiefly as a drought-hardy fruit tree well suited to poor, dry soils and is a mainstay of arid-zone agroforestry, windbreaks and wasteland reclamation. The fruit and leaves are nutritious, the leaves are valued fodder and host the lac insect, the flowers are good for bees, and the hard, tough wood is used for tools, fuel and charcoal; parts of the tree are used in traditional medicine.

• Family: Rhamnaceae
• Native region: Indian subcontinent
• Mature height: 5-12 m
• Growth rate: Fast

Sowing the seed: the hard, stony seed is dormant, so crack or scarify the woody endocarp and soak the seed in water for 24-48 hours before sowing to speed germination. Sow about 2-3 cm deep in well-drained sandy loam in deep polybags and keep warm and moist; germination is uneven, usually taking 21-30 days or more. Raise the seedlings for a season and transplant when 30-50 cm tall at the onset of the monsoon; improved cultivars are commonly budded or grafted onto such seedlings.