Jujube cultivars grown in the US

General Fruit Growing
#1

This is a work in progress. I’m just trying to list all jujube varieties I can find that are grown in the US. Those with an asterisk* are varieties that originated in the US.

Some of these cultivar names may be duplicates with different spelling. Some NMSU Amerizao cultivars reached the US without help from NMSU, and in those situations I am listing both the Amerizao cultivar name and the individual cultivar, in part because I’m not 100% sure that the two are identical. For example, I am not sure that the Amerizao Teapot in New Mexico is the same as the Teapot that is grown in California.

Abacus
Abbeville*
Admiral Wilkes
Allentown
AmeriZao Alcalde #1 (Qiyuexian) (probably Autumn Beauty)
AmeriZao Banzao
AmeriZao Chaoyang
AmeriZao Dabailing
AmeriZao Daguazao
AmeriZao Dragon
AmeriZao Gaga
AmeriZao Huizao
AmeriZao Hupingzao (Jinchang #1)
AmeriZao Jing-39
AmeriZao Jinsi-2
AmeriZao Jinsi-3
AmeriZao Jinsi-4
AmeriZao Jixin
AmeriZao JKW (Jinkuiwang)
AmeriZao Junzao
AmeriZao KFC (Kongfucui)
AmeriZao Liuyuexian
AmeriZao Maya
AmeriZao Miyun
AmeriZao Mushroom
AmeriZao Pitless
AmeriZao Sandia
AmeriZao Teapot
AmeriZao Xiang
AmeriZao Xingguang
AmeriZao Youzao
AmeriZao Yuanling
AmeriZao Zaocuiwang
AmeriZao Zhongning
Ant Admire
Autumn Beauty aka Qiyue Xian
Baby Red
Banzao
Big Bell aka Dae Chong Dae Chu
Big Melon
Bok Jo
Black Sea
Bulushu Zao
Chaoyang
Chico aka GI 7-62*
China Orange
China Yellow
Churchpoint*
Coco
Confetti aka Yalta No. 2
Contorted aka So
Dabailing
Dae Sol Jo
Don Polenski*
Dong Zao
Dragon aka Yong Dae Chu
Ed Hegard*
Elk Grove*
Empress Gee aka Wang dae choo
Fitzgerald*
Frog aka Hanna Zao
Fucuimi
Gaga
GA866* (now sold by Gurneys as Super Sweet)
GI 7-62* aka Chico
GI 1183*
Globe
Goose Eggs
Gourd
Halina
Hetian Jade
Honey Jar
Huizao aka Hui jo?
Huk San
Hulu
Hunan Eggs
Huping (same as Hupingzao?)
Jewell
Jin aka Chang
Kima
Kitaiski 2
Kitaiski 60 aka Russian #2?
KukJae 1 Ho
La Fleur
Lang aka Ta Yan Tsao
Li
Li 2*
Lin Yi aka Pear
Ma Ya Zao
Massandra
Mat Dae
Maya
Mei Mi
Mu
Norris #1* aka R1T2?
Norris R1T4
Norris R2T2*
Norris R4T3*
Oo Sene Hun
Orange Beauty*
Park
Pepper
Porterville*
Priest
Redland probably the same as Redlands #4
Redlands #4*
Russian #2 aka Kitaiski 60?
Russian #4 aka 29-16 TOC?
Sandia
Sang Wang
September Late
Shandong Pear
Shanxi Li
Sherwood*
Shui Men*
Sihong
Silber Special
Silverhill (same as Tigertooth?)
So aka Contorted
Sovietski
Sugar Cane
Sui
Sweet Meaty
Sweet Tart*
Teapot
Tae Sang Wang
Ta Yan Tsao aka Lang
Texas Honey*
Texas Sawmill*
Texas Tart
Thornless
Tigertooth (same as Silverhill?)
Topeka*
Tsao
Vegas Baby*
Vegas Booty*
Vegas Candy*
Vegas Glitzy*
Vegas Kinky*
Vegas Lucky*
Vegas Spicy*
Vegas Sweetie*
Wang dae choo aka Empress Gee
Winter
Winter Delight aka Mango Dong Zho
XC 815
Xu Zhou
Yazoo Li*
Ying Li
Ying Lo
Yu
Zhang Huang Da

11 Likes
#2

Nice list…that took a while!

I have one that I call Texas Honey

4 Likes
#3

Nice job, @castanea

I think @BobVance needs to chime in. He has a bunch.

1 Like
#4

Impressive list! It is nice to see so many more jujubes, when I started growing them 15 years ago there were maybe a fourth as many.

1 Like
#5

impressive compendium @castanea Thanks for doing that!

btw, felt like my ears popped as i scrolled down the deep vertiginous abyss,
and couldn’t help but scroll up and down several times that soon felt like might need motion-sickness pills :laughing:

also wanted to say i saw orange beauty being purveyed by englands. Your california-born legacy is getting mainstreamed. Pretty cool right?

another addition to the diversity, and i so embrace it !

1 Like
#6

That is a huge list! There are several additional varieties which should probably be noted as synonyms such as Contorted/So (maybe with a Burntridge Contorted added) and Silverhill/Tigertooth. I think Dong and Winter would also be the same.

I took a quick look and don’t have much to add.

I got Fucuimi from CRD a couple years ago. They described it below:

Fucuimi is an new introduction, early season variety, sweet, crispy, precocious. Its fruit size is bigger than Honeyjar and Russia#2

From Cliff:
TVA R1T4
KukJae 1 Ho
Allentown
Zhang Huang Da

Raf:
Priest
La Fleur

Roger Meyers:
GI 1183

That’s where I added it from :slight_smile:

4 Likes
#7

would like to add ‘vegas kinky’ to @castanea’s list
seed-grown from burntridge’s contorted that produced better fruit than its mother

1 Like
#8

Thanks!

I’m not sure Tigertooth and Silverhill are the same. I grew Silverhill but not Tigertooth. I have compared photos and descriptions of both but while some of the photos seem similar, others do not, and the flavor descriptions of Tigertooth I have seen from others do not match my experience with Silverhill. I will mention the possible identity confusion though.

The Winter I listed is a tree being sold in California. It is not Dong.

#9

This is an awesome list! If anyone has the time and patience, it would be great to see descriptions of fruit (prefer fresh eating or dried, size etc), as well as anticipated best zones for growing (I know in the temperate Eastern US some cultivars won’t fruit well, others love the heat, etc). I know there is already a megathread started on general jujube knowledge but having it in one concise list like this would be a huge jump forward for those trying to decide which ones to get!

1 Like
#10

Anyone know if the “Winter Delight” is a new variety or old one? The newest commercial variety is called “Winter Jujube” in Chinese.

“Winter Jujube” = Dong Zao, in Chinese.

Probably not the same variety.

Somehow I feel that jujube naming is like fig naming. Some are duplicates.

#11

Winter Delight is the American name for Mango Dong Zho. The American name is a relatively new name. There many Chinese cultivars that have “winter” in the name.

1 Like
#12

Get started!

All of the Amerizao cultivars are described on the New Mexico State web site.

#13

The most common commercial jujube varieties are Li and Dong Zao (“Winter Jujube”). Those are sold in Asian markets. Dong Zao “Winter Jujube” is relatively new.

Dong Zao “Winter Jujube” has superb quality for fresh eating. It is pretty much the combination of the sweetness of Honey Jar and the quality and size of Sugar Cane. It has pretty much swept away Li out of Asian markets.

If I’m going to start today, I’ll probably choose Dong Zao “Winter Jujube” and probably Honey Jar and ShanXi Li (for its size). Others are pretty much redundant.

3 Likes
#14

some relatives and friends love the fruits from certain wild-type rootstock(which are too sour for me) but can’t really tell them what they ought to like–using my personal preferences as yardstick, which am not. And was quite surprised my sister liked the cultivar lang ripened here in vegas at 110F!

i never cared for it even when ripened at 95F…

but makes me happy still that she likes it, in the same way am glad that some people like sour wild-type jujus.

#15

Dong Zao is a very old and famous variety，now they breed new variety called Dong Zao 2，much bigger size and higher sugar content.

1 Like
#16

Not sure if you are talking about China or USA. In China, there are many more varieties. I do not keep track of them since they are not available in US. I do not know the history of Dong Zao and Dong Zao 2 and how old they are.

But in US, even Li has been very old and the fruit qualities are lower than many of the varieties in China, it was still the only commercial variety in US for decades. After Sugar Cane, Honey Jar and ShanXi Li were introduced over the past 10 or 15 years, they were never adopted and become commercial varieties in US. I do not recall seeing any of them sold in Asian markets in fresh produce, but only Li.

Only recently, probably 3-5 years ago, Dong Zao “Winter Jujube” start to surface in US Asian markets. Consumers and shop owners care less about Dong Zao 1 or Dong Zao 2. They only mark them as Dong Zao and Dong Zao (air freight from China). Even if Dong Zao 2 is introduced in US, I think it will still be marked as Dong Zao.

Here is a current store photo of Dong Zao. Apparently this is the standard variety, medium size.

3bVbUH9JTbu3nLPKoMcZdQ

3 Likes
#17

I just finished a website for pawpaws for a similar project. I need a break for a bit and persimmons are probably next. Jujubes may follow shortly thereafter!

2 Likes
#18

Awesome list! :slight_smile:

Gurney’s just released a new variety called “Super Sweet” (Botanical name: Ziziphus jujuba ‘GA 866’). I had already order 2 varieties from them a couple of weeks ago, but I’m thinking of calling and trying to add this one to my order as well.

2 Likes
#19

GA866 is an old variety from the Chico planting if I recall (it is on the above list). I wouldn’t recommend it, it doesn’t fruit reliably.

4 Likes
#20

Oh, I didn’t see that… thanks, I won’t bother then. :slight_smile: