Chinee apple, Indian jujube
Ziziphus mauritiana, Fam. Rhamnaceae
A large shrub or small spreading, densely-branched tree up to 8m high and 10m in canopy diameter, branches zigzaged with a leaf and thorn, to 8mm long, at each angle.
| Weed Category: |
Restricted invasive plants Category 3 Plants declared invasive under the Biosecurity Act 2014, that are present in QLD.
Not to be distributed or disposed of.
|
| Weed: | Yes |
| Form or habit: | Shrub, Small tree |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Leaf: | Simple Alternate Alternate simple ovate to rounded, 25-75 x 23-45mm, prominently 3-veined, glossy green above, white or tawny densely woolly hairy below; margins entire or finely saw-toothed. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Inconspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
White, Green |
| Flower description: | Small greenish-white 5-petalled, 5-8mm wide, borne in axillary clusters or umbels; unpleasant smell. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Orange, Yellow, Red |
| Fruit: | Fleshy |
| Fruit description: | Fleshy, rounded drupe 15-20 x 15-20mm, pale yellow or orange to reddish when ripe, with tart mealy flesh and a 1-2-seeded brown stone 10-12mm long. |
| Habitat: | |
| Distribution | |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | India |
| Notes: | Spread by: fruit eaten and seeds discarded by birds, stock, feral pigs, other animals and humans; re-grows from lignotubers, cut roots and cuttings. Invades/threats: can grow into dense, impenetrable stands along waterways, dry exposed hillsides and plains. Notes: probably introduced as a fruit tree for early gold miners. Now naturalised from Torres Strait, where it was first recorded in 1863, to Maryborough, particularly in drier areas. Known to occur in northern reaches of Whitsunday Catchment; isolated plants recorded in a number of locations in Whitsunday, also on Pioneer River and beside the Bruce Highway. Resprouts after fire. Does not establish under existing canopies. Occasional outbreaks are controlled; any new sightings should be reported. Category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014, it must not be given away, sold, or released into the environment without a permit. The Act requires everyone to take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise the risks associated with invasive plants and animals under their control. This is called a general biosecurity obligation (GBO). |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2018) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region Second Edition. |
