Ziziphus mucronata Willd.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Hwange NP, Main Camp

Photo: Bart Wursten
Shashe Wilderness Camp, Shashe River

Photo: Bart Wursten
At foot of hills just outside of Zvishavane on road to Mbalabala

Photo: Bart Wursten
Nyahokwe Hill, Nyanga

Photo: Bart Wursten
Rimiti West, by rd from Mutare to Birchenough Bridge

Photo: Bart Wursten
By Fern Valley Dam, S of Mutare

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:	Ziziphus adelensis Delile Ziziphus baclei DC. Ziziphus bubalina Licht. ex Schult. Ziziphus madecassa H.Perrier Ziziphus mitis A.Rich. Ziziphus mucronata Willd. subsp. mucronata Ziziphus mucronata Willd. subsp. rhodesica R.B. Drumm.
Common names:	Buffalo-thorn (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Small to medium-sized tree, armed with distinct pairs of hooked and straight spines. Leaves broadly ovate, markedly asymmetric, 3-veined from the base, variably near hairless to densely rusty hairy, paricularly beneath; margins finely toothed. Flowers in axillary clusters, small, yellowish. Fruit a spherical drupe, reddish-brown when ripe.
Notes:	Two subspecies were formerly recognized with subsp. mucronata being mostly hairless except for some short pubescence on the veins beneath while subsp. rhodesiaca being distinguished by the dense, pale rusty hairs, particularly on the underside of the leaves. Since these differences only represent the two extremes with many intermediate forms existing, these taxonomic distinctions are no longer used.
Derivation of specific name:	mucronata: mucronate; with a short narrow point, projecting from the apex of the leaves.
Habitat:	In a wide variety of habitats
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	On the Arabian Peninsula, throughout Subsaharan Africa, except for the Western Cape, South Africa.
Botswana distribution:	N,SW,SE
Growth form(s):	Tree.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:	Tarucus sybaris sybaris (Food plant) Tuxentius calice calice (Food plant) Epiphora mythimnia (Larval foodplant) Lhommeia subapicata (Larval foodplant)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 551. As Ziziphus mucronata (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 38. Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Pages 666 - 667. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, M. (1989). Guide to the trees and shrubs of the Mukuvisi Woodlands ?publisher. Page 14. Curtis, B.A. & Mannheimer, C.A. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia National Botanic Research Institute, Windhoek Pages 412 - 413. (Includes a picture). Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 98. Drummond, R.B. (1966). Rhamnaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(2) Pages 421 - 423. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 257. Drummond, R.B. (1981). Common Trees of the Central Watershed Woodlands of Zimbabwe. Natural Resources Board, Harare. Pages 132 - 133. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. & Coates Palgrave, K. (1973). Common Trees of the Highveld Longman, Rhodesia Pages 81 - 83. (Includes a picture). Ellery, K. & W. (1997). Plants of the Okavango Delta, a Field Guide Tsaro Publishers, Durban, South Africa Page 138. (Includes a picture). Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Pages 240 - 241. (Includes a picture). Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 108. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 70. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 86. Roodt, V. (1998). Trees and Shrubs of the Okavango Delta Shell Field Guide Series: Part I Shell Oil Botswana, Gaberone. Pages 90 - 92. (Includes a picture). Schmidt, E., Lötter, M. & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park Jacana, Johannesburg, South Africa Pages 382 - 383. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 96. Setshogo, M.P. & Venter, F. (2003). Trees of Botswana: names and distribution SABONET Report No. 18 Southern African Botanical Diversity Network, Pretoria Page 17. Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 28. Steedman, E.C. (1933). Some Trees, Shrubs and Lianes of Southern Rhodesia. Page 46. as Ziziphus mucronata (Includes a picture). Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 158. Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 222. Van Wyk, B. & Malan, S. (1988). Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria Region Struik, Cape Town Pages 304 - 305. (Includes a picture). Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (1997). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik, South Africa Page 232. (Includes a picture). Van Wyk, B. & Van Wyk, P. (2013). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa (Second edition) Struik, South Africa Pages 282 - 283. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Ziziphus mucronata:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Ziziphus mucronata
Flora of Caprivi: Ziziphus mucronata
Flora of Malawi: Ziziphus mucronata
Flora of Mozambique: Ziziphus mucronata
Flora of Zambia: Ziziphus mucronata
Flora of Zimbabwe: Ziziphus mucronata

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ziziphus mucronata
African Plant Database: Ziziphus mucronata
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ziziphus mucronata
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ziziphus mucronata
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ziziphus mucronata
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ziziphus mucronata
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ziziphus mucronata
JSTOR Plant Science: Ziziphus mucronata
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ziziphus mucronata
Plants of the World Online: Ziziphus mucronata
Tropicos: Ziziphus mucronata
Wikipedia: Ziziphus mucronata