Buckthorn family
Description
A family of shrubs and trees and some climbers, some with thorns, and cosmopolitan distribution (Rhamnaceae 1).
The leaves are simple, alternate or opposite. The flowers are borne in loose clusters, small and inconspicuous, with 4 or 5 sepals and petals, the last ones occasionally missing. There are 4 or 5 stamens and a superior ovary. The fruit is a fleshy drupe or a nut.
There are 58 genera.
Use
Besides a dye and some purgatives, the family yields edible fruits known as jujubes.
Described species
Zizyphus mauritiana, Indian jujube, see Zizyphus sp.
Zizyphus jujuba, Chinese jujube, see Zizyphus sp.