It’s supposed to have a texture similar to that of Chico, which would indeed be finer and very nice.
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I’m not familiar enough with the original names for jujube cultivars to look up how Chico compares. I’m pretty sure that Chico is a USDA bred jujube though.
I was reading a couple of Chinese nursery and breeding reports for panzao, but they mostly mention dongzao which should be WD (I think).
Dongzao is not Winter Delight. Dongzao is a very common fresh eating jujube in China. The fruit is basically a round globe. It is very sweet and well known within China and outside China. Winter Delight is a huge elongated jujube named Mango Dongzao or Mango Dongzho in China and not nearly as sweet as Dongzao. This is WD -
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Ok so I had to search around. Dongzao as a generic name refers to Zhanhua Dongzao (临猗冬枣), of which there are two “versions.” The newest version of Zhanhua Dongzao is usually referred to as Dongzao #2 or gen 2 Dongzao (二代冬枣). The second gen is larger, oblate, sweeter, juicer, thinner skin, crisper flesh, lower density. The “original” Dongzao is rounder or oblong with greater variation in shape and sizes during maturation. [Source]
Mango Dongzao (芒果冬枣) is as @castanea pointed out different. Mango Dongzao is also referred to as Linyi Dongzao (临猗冬枣), which I think is a trademarked name like some sort of PDO thing. The cultivar used is mango dongzao though.
There is a study that I can’t access because it’s behind a paywall. But it suggests Mango Dongzao is better acclimated to dry arid conditions than Zhanhua Dongzao. I assume these are all related in breeding due to the name and the way they seem presented in some of the publications I was reading.
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thanks for your informative posts @castanea and @JustPeachy !
the panzao @castanea just posted does appear similar to porterville, at least from the few fruits we’ve produced here in vegas several years ago. Kind of bumpy and spotted. And relatively large-fruited, about the size of li’s. Unfortunately lost our tags and may have inadvertently grafted them over. We probably lost this cultivar altogether which is quite a bummer since the fruits are of great quality. 
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I didn’t know whether to post this into the 2021, fruit set if you don’t have hot dry summers, or cultivars grown in the us thread.
Anyways… I was reading through the scion list at Cliff’s place, and noticed a few of the jujubes originating from China mentioned a few times. Has anyone grown these recently? I’m pulling the following info from nursery and grow reports in China. I assume these won’t necessarily behave the same here.
Tian Xia Di Yi, 天下第一 aka “World’s Best” The information on this one is sketchy. The literal translation would be “Number One Under the Heavens” or contextually “World’s Best,” the later of which is a phrase you’ll commonly see on Chinese packaging. As a cultivar, as best I can search, is this originated somewhere in Yunnan. It’s dual purpose: dry and fresh eating. 70-80 day maturation, early than two other common early cultivars - fucui honey (伏脆蜜) and yuegang (月光枣). Shape similar to moonlight and mango dongzao. 17 grams average. 28-35% brix.
Zao Chui Wang - 早脆王, aka Early Crisp King. Developed in Hebei for fresh market. 32 gram, 60 gram max, record at 90g, so can be larger than Panzao. Under developed thorns. It’s a month and a half earlier than Zhanhau Dongzao. 35% brix.
Te Da Su Cui (特大酥大枣)/Ji Dan Su Cui (鸡蛋酥大枣), Egg Crisp, aka Extra Large Crisp, 80-90gram, max 120g, hanging fruit, harvest after frost. 41% brix. dwarfing
Goose Eggs (鹅蛋枣). This appears to be a synonym for Dalong zao (刀郎枣). Originated in Xinjiang. 20-35% brix. Appears to be considered better than Heitan Jade (和田玉枣), which is apparently the same as Huping (壶瓶枣).
Hunan Eggs, 湖南鸡蛋枣. 20-30grams, Most popular cultivar in Xupu county. Also knowns as Xupu Egg (溆浦鸡蛋枣). Non uniform size. Seems to be aimed primarily at dry market (I think).
Golden Silk, Jin Si Hao, Jin Shi Zao, technically the correct romanization should be Jin Si Zao. “金丝小枣” or 金丝枣. Anyways, appears to be meant for dry market. From Zhongning county.
Bul Lou Su Zao, I assume this is 不落酥枣, which should be bu lou su zao, the “do not fall dates” Pingyao county in Shanxi. Weak stem, lots of foliage. 20g average 31% brix. 110 days. I think this is a drying date, but not sure.
ma ya zao, moonlight, 月光枣. aka Lingzao, 灵枣. ma ya zao, horse tooth, 马牙枣 should be different from moonlight, yuegang, 月光枣. aka Lingzao, 灵枣.Cliff has an error in his listing showing “ma ya zao = moonlight.” I need to seek clarification from Cliff to figure out what he has. The latter is from Heibei province. 10-13g. 30 brix. (up to 40 brix when red) Crisper than zhanhua dongzao. Early. 80-90 days.
Looks like Panzao and Bokjo are considered “closely related.”
The only other [two] jujubes from China in Cliff’s inventory that I have a problem back-translating and researching are [“Que Yue Xian” (秋月 and unsure of third character)} (see post 1248 ) and “Ying Lo”. @BobVance Maybe your wife can throw out a suggestion? I’m stumped. @castanea Are you familiar with any of these? maybe you can fill in the gaps?
I’d be interested in hearing about Tian Xia Di Yi, and Ma Ya/Moonlight, Maya and Moonlight. They sound interesting for those on the east coast with a shorter season and want fresh and early ripening. @jujubemulberry have you tried either?
Apologies in advance if there are inaccuracies. I have a lot of tabs open and trying to cross reference [often] badly Romanized names with their original Chinese spelling.
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Good info.
Ying Lo jujubes below. Very nice - crispy and sweet.
Qi yue Xian is Autumn Beauty. I assume Que Yue Xian is the same cultivar.
I don’t have Zao Chui Wang, but Cliff also lists it as Zao Cui Wang aka Zhou Chui Wang aka Chui Wang Zao.
I don’t know Tian Xia Di Yi.
I don’t know Te Da Su Cui.
I have Goose Eggs but the tree is small and the fruit has not yet matured well. It seems to be heavily productive though.
I have Hunan Eggs (below). The fruit is very good for fresh eating. It has a different taste profile than the average jujube. Not real sweet, but the flavor is very nice. Not real crisp, but not dense either. It has a very nice texture.
I don’t have Golden Silk.
I don’t have Bul Lou Su Zao.
I had Ma Ya Zao at one point but it is now gone. I don’t recall what the fruit was like. It may not have fruited.
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I read Cliff’s inventory wrong. It’s “Qi Yue Xian.” Originally, I had the second and third character correct, but the romanization was throwing me off the first character because it made me second guess the third one.
Qi Yue Xian - July Fresh(English translation), 七月鲜 - Selected by expert Dr. Wang Changzhu (王长柱) from the Shaanxi Jujube Research Center. Selected from provincial survey of farms in 1996 of seedlings. Collected in 1997. named in 2003. Certification in 2013. 29.8g average. 26.8% brix. 85 days maturation. Mortality is 3.5% for -22C for 2-3 year old saplings. Strongest salt tolerance of tested jujubes and of 450 varieties in observation at National Jujube Resource Nursery, rated second in early maturity. For dry and fresh market. Competitive with Huping zao and sweeter than Junzao (骏枣) and Muzao (木枣). 0.2% less acid than Junzao, Huping zao, and Junyou No 1 (骏优一号).
There is another different cultivar called “Mid Autumn Beauty” (literal translation), which kind of makes this confusing. As @castanea is more familiar with cultivars and their import history, I assume he’s correct that “Qi Yue Xian” = “Autumn Beauty” as it was introduced by OGW.
These are other jujubes originating from China in Cliff’s inventory.
Hama zao/ Frog 蛤蟆枣. I think this would be more accurately called toad not frog. Unknown history. Heirloom cultivar with 200 year old trees. . Main commercial crop in Yongji county in Shaanxi. 34g average. 28-32% brix. 40g max. 0.432% acidity. 68% water content. Poor frost resistance. Poor crack resistance. overcropping tendency. fresh market mostly. Tall upright, long internodes.
Mu zao, 木枣 (wooden jujube), also known as Luilang Wooden (吕梁木枣). From Luilang area in Shaanxi. Softer flesh. Fresh market. Finger shaped. Dual use - dry and fresh.
Si Hong zao (泗洪大枣), heirloom cultivar dating to Ming dynasty. Also known as Shangtang (上塘大枣) and Sihong tribute (泗洪贡枣). In the 1970s, 98% of jujubes in Sihong district were decimated by jujube witches broom (JWB). The original tree was noticed to be unaffected. In 1985, cuttings were taken from original tree for propagation. 50g average. Resistance to fruit shrinkage, anthracnose. 30% brix
Jin Chang, 金昌枣. I can’t find much info on this one other than it’s grown in Hebei province. It seems to be an older southern cultivar along side zanhuang. There is a Jin Chang No 1 金昌一号, so I assume it has still some value in breeding.
Yu Zao, 玉枣, same as Hetian Jade (和田玉枣), aka Jade Jujube. Primarily a drying jujube. Cultivars in use are Huping (壶瓶枣) and Junzao (骏枣). Differences in name seem to be due to area grown, kind of like a PDO thing. 20-35% brix.
Dae Bai Ling, Da Bai Ling, Big Bell, Big white bell, 大白铃 - 25g average. 49 gram max 25% brix green. 30% brix red. Also known as steamed bun/mantou jujube (馒头枣), duck egg jujube (鸭蛋青枣) , pear jujube (梨枣). Selected by Shandong Institute of Fruit Research in 1983 for fresh market.
Mei Mi, 美蜜枣 . There is a GRIN like database in Heibei (National Center for Forestry and Grassland Genetic Resources/国家林林业和草原种质资源库) There’s almost no other information about this cultivar other than it’s a landrace from Shanxi province - [Conical crown; cylindrical shape; medium yield; poor crack resistance] . Fresh fruit market. Could Mei Mi be the same as the Mi in Cliff’s possession?
Linfen Candied, 临汾蜜枣. This cultivar seems more common than Mei mi. Head/crown larger than bottom. Oval fruit. Spindle shaped seed. Landrace from Shanxi. dual use- dry and fresh. This would be the other candidate for the Mi zao in Cliff’s inventory.
[There is one called Mi zao. This name confounds me because it would mean candied jujube. As a result, it’s nearly impossible to turn up a search of the cultivar because I just get results of the processed candied form of jujube.]
Random fact: Jujube witches broom is called jujube madness disease (枣疯病危害), crazy jujube (疯枣树) or public jujube (公枣树). This was confusing at first because they use the same character from mad cow disease (疯牛病).
From those in Cliff’s inventory from China, Ying Lo and Mi Zao are the only two from China that I can’t really trace (at the moment).
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i had maya zao moonlight which was excellent, but i lost the graft. I only got to try two fruits from it, ripened in late sept or early october if remember it right. Perceived it sweeter than sugar cane or hj. Didn’t do brix on it though.
seems like tthey were growing it on its own roots when they mentioned ‘strongest salt tolerance’
as for being “early” it is probably partly due to qi yue xian’s tendency to leaf out sooner than other varieties(including its rootstock!). Of course, i am not even certain if the qi yue xian i have is the exact clone of the one pertained to in the report.
awesome provenance @JustPeachy . If the sihong i obtained from mr Meyer is the same as in that report, then the clones currently have are at least 400 years old-- on their own roots. The hardiness mentioned holds true from what have noticed with my sihongs as grafts, and on their own roots. The fruit size and brix also corroborates, so maybe i have the “real deal”.
also great to hear that this cultivar is resistant to that one and only legitimate killer of juju trees(witches’ broom), if, at some point, the dreaded pathogen reaches american and australian shores… Would make long-lived specimens either as stand-alone(self-rooted) trees or as multi-grafted trees with sihong as rootstock.
have been watching self-rooted stock of various cultivars obtained from jfae and good forum members as well as watching my home-grown self-rooted clones, and i am seeing “soft” signs of senescence of varying degrees, wherein the main trunk seems to lose vigor or even self-prunes, and the subsequent upright growths are not as vigorous as the main trunk. Much like old apple trees shrink in biomass as they lose their main canopies and just grow weaker side shoots from way below. Or like air-layered citrus getting dwarfish.
sihong seems to be the most vigorous on its own roots. Vegas booty and bounty are vigorous on their own roots too, but they don’t really count since i planted them from seed in 2020’s, and not in 1620’s…
Frog/Toad has a nice flavor with a tiny bit of tartness which I like, but the texture was somewhat dense which I did not care for.
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that is so interesting, i actually like dense, chewy jujus, hence a fan of sihong 
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Actually, most [not all] of the grower and nursery reports have acidity data. I just neglected to include it in my posts because most people focus on brix and weight/size. I have to go back and look again, but if I remember correctly, Frog/Toad had higher acidity than the other ones.
I like dense when it correlates with crunch/crisp. If it’s dense and chewy, that’s really not my jam.
It appears they were all on wild spinosa rootstock. They just monitored growth, fruiting, etc…
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oh, ok thanks for clarifying. Was hoping those were self-rooted as that would be so encouraging. Excellent report nonetheless!
use to hate autumn simply because trees go dormant and not much else to do. But now have something to look forward to as it is when juju airlayers drop their foliage in cold weather will it be safest to peer into their innards. Below is another chico sequence
and below is GI-1183 airlayered using Ensure plastic bottles. Quite an expensive supplemental drink, so happy to have some utility to the plastic waste. Ensure bottles are soft enough to be cut and punctured at the bottom for drainage but likewise flexible enough to return to its normal shape after having them wrap around girdled juju stems. The bottle cap holds the bottles snug, and may be removed temporarily for watering…
i should have left the stem in the bottle but my curiosity got the better of me and pulled it out, damaging a lot of rootlets… Will find out if the few wispy root hairs on this specimen would support it when starts leafing out next year
.
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jujube pests, pls see link below. Here in vegas, stinkbugs/leaf-footed bugs/squashbugs sometimes attack the fruits.
never met the gentleman who posted this, but reading his article makes me think we have similar neuron-wiring. He says he eats jujus like popcorn, and if remember it right i wrote that too somewhere.
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Yep!
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that makes the three of us eating jujus like they’re popcorn!
found my entry here of same verbiage back in 2017
i guess i eat other fruits like i eat popcorn, lol
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I guess we all pretty much like popcorn too!!!
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so we’re trying to reach a wider audience for our youtube channel. It is about our yearly first-come first-served giveaways. While the intent is to share with others who aren’t members of this good forum, members here are equally welcome to avail of the offer(regardless if you’ve been a previous recipient of a few juju samplers, or a recipient of many samplers). Actually don’t remember much anymore who i have given what and how many.
this Thanksgiving(and hopefully every thanksgiving day beginning this year), we will post a note re: giveaways at the comments section of the youtube video below. So if there is an X-number of offers, then the first X-number of interested parties to post their requests on the comments will each get a freebie. Interested parties may email us their mailing address at jujubemulberry@gmail.com, using the username they posted their requests with at the comments section.
as always, shipping is gratis, but offers are limited to residents of continental USA only( excludes Alaska).
advanced Happy T-Giving everyone
btw, the embedded video above will play but doesn’t lead to the actual youtube page…
you can post your reply-request on the actual page-- pls click here
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