Ziziphus oenopolia (L.) Mill.

Taxonomy: Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Rosales > Rhamnaceae > Ziziphus > Z. oenopolia

Description: Scandent shrubs, thorns many, recurved, branchlets densely silky hairy. Leaves 4-6.5 x 2-3 cm, ovate, apex acuminate, base oblique, 3 or 4 ribbed, densely fulvous hairy, sessile or shortly petioled. Flowers 3 mm across, shortly pedicelled, 6-20 in axillary clusters; sepals triangular, hispid outside; petals clawed, concave, greenish yellow; disk flat, glabrous. Drupe 6 x 6 mm, globose, black.

Flowering and fruiting: November-March

Uses: Fruit - raw or cooked. They can be dried for off-season consumption. The shiny, black, globose or obovoid-globose fruit is around 5 - 7mm long and 5 - 6mm wide, containing 1 - 2 seeds. Medicinal: The juice of the roots is applied to fresh cuts and wounds. A decoction of the root bark is used to heal fresh wounds. The bark contains tannins and is astringent. A paste of the inner bark is applied as a poultice to obstinate wounds. A decoction of the fruit is used as a treatment for indigestion. The fruit is an ingredient of a stomachache pill. The plant is very prickly, and is grown as a hedge to provide a barrier to keep out livestock and other grazing animals. The bark is a source of tannins. The seeds are used to make rosaries. The branches are used to make fences

Cultivation: Cultivated, Wild

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org