Jackal jujube, littlefruit jujube, squirrel’s jujube; Ziziphus oenoplia;

Common Names

in English: acacia, black siris, east Indian walnut, frywood, kokko, koko, lebbeck, lebbeck tree, lebbek, lebbek tree, mother-in-law’s tongue, parrot tree, rain tree, raom tree, rattle pod, silk flower, silk tree, silver raintree, siris, siris rain tree, siris tree, sizzling tree, soros-tree, woman’s tongue (because the pods rustle in the slightest breeze and are said to be … whispering all the time), woman’s tongues, women’s-tongue-tree

in Madagascar: alomboro, bonara, fany, faux mendoravina

in Nigeria: eshegeshege

in South Africa: lebbeckboom, lebbekboom

in Tanzania: mfureta

in Yoruba: ayinre, ayinreye

in Cambodia: chreh

in India: adukkavagai, akashmoni, antutim, atukkuvakai, baage, baage mara, baagichettu, bage, bageda, bagemara, baghi, bagi, baji, barhapushpa, begemara, belisiras, beymada, bhandi, bhandika, bhandila, bhandira, billa, billa vaara, bodosirsi, charas, chekola, chelinge, chichola, chinchola, cilipam, cinapam, ciritakam, ciritakamaram, ciritam, conakam, conatamaram, cukattirakam, cukattiram, cukattiramaram, cukattiravam, cukatturumam, culika, culikamaram, darakhtejakheria, darash, dirasan, dirasana, dirisana, dirisanamu, dirisena, dirishanam, dodda baage, dodda hombaage, dodda sirisha, doddabafe, doddabage, doddasirisa, eluvakai, eluvakaimaram, fanjhi, gachoa, garso, ghulmero, girisamu, goddu hunase, gulmhora, hombaage, hombage, ilaivakai, kaadu manjeete, kaalashiras, kadace, kadache, kalashiras, kalbaage, kalbaghi, kalincakam, kalindi, kalinga, kalinkam, kalinti, kalintimaram, kalio siras, kaliosaras, kallu baage, kallukam, kaloshirish, kalshish, kalsis, kanipala, kanmuracu, kapitaka, kapitana, kapitanam, kapitanamu, kapithanamu, kapittaci, karintakara, karnapura, karuppuvakai, katabhi, kattu chindhula, kattu vagai, kattu vakai, kattuvagai, kattuvaka, kattuvakai, khok, kinihi, kirusnapiram, koko, kona, kopattirai, kothia koroi, kottancilai, krishnashirisha, lasrin, lebach, lomashapushpaksaparni, madhupushpa, mara, mathirishi, mayurakari, mirutuputpam, mirutuputpamaram, mothasiras, motisarsiro, mrdupushpa, mrdupushpah, mridupushpa, murdhapushpa, nakappattiri, nakappittirimaram, nattuvakai, nenmani, nenmeni, nenmeni vaka, nenmenivaka, nenneni, nentukam, pallukam, pallukamaram, pandil, pangar, pantakaccam, pantil, paruvakai, patikam, patil, pedda dirisinam, peddadirisanamu, periyavakai, perunvagai, peruvakai, peruvakaimaram, pilavam,

pilavatitam, pilavatitamaram, pilo sarshio, piram, pit shirish shirisha, pitshirish, plavaga, pruthushrangi, putamaram, putavirotikam, putavirotikamaram, putavirukkam, puvicilai, puvitavirukkam, safed siris, sahasraki, sankesar, saras,sares, sarin, shankiniphala,  shikiniphala, shiris, shirish, shirisha, shitapushpa, shivson, shrisha, shukadruma, shukapriya, shukapushpa, shukataru, shukeshta, shuksatam, shyamavarna, shymala, sirai, sirar, siras, sirasa, sireesha, siridam, sirin, siris, siris kala, sirisa, sirisah, sirisamu, sirish, sirisha, sirishamu, sirs, sirsa, sirsala, sirsool, sirsul, sissa, sonagam, sugattram, sukapriya, sukataru, sukataruh, sukhataru, supushpaka, svarnapushpaka, telladirisanachettu, theng-chamai, thingri, tinya, tirchul, tukhme siris, uddanaka, ulincil, ulincilaivakai, undugam, untukam, utuntakam, utuntukam, vaagai, vaakatholi, vaakaveru, vaga, vagai, vagai maram, vagei, vageri, vaghai, vaivai ni vavalagi, vaka, vakai, vakaimaram, vakaiyilai, vakattimaram, vakattiram, vannika, vannikavakai, variyankam, vellaivenkai, vellankam, velu-vake, velvariyankam, velvenkai, vinneyavam, viruttaputpam, viruttaputpamaram, vishaghati, vishahanta, vishanashana, vrittapushpa, yamavarana

in Indonesia: kitoke, tarisi, tekik

in Japan: Biruma-gokan (= Burma sleeping tree)

in Java: tekik

in Malaysia: oriang

in Nepal: kalo siris, siris, tate

in Philippines: aninapla, langil

in Thailand: chamchuri, ka se, kampu, khago

in Tibet: si-ri-sa, si ri si (d), sri sa, sri si ka, sri si ka (d), sri si ks (d), su-ka-ta-ru

in Vietnam: bô kêt tây, lim xanh, trât

in Fiji: vaivai, vaivai ni vavalagi, vaivai ni vavalangi

in Hawaii: ‘ohai

in Pacific: ‘arapitia, gumorningabchey, kalaskas, kasia, mamis, ngumormingobchey, schepil kalaskas, tamaligi pa‘epa‘e, trongkon kalaskas, trongkon-mames, tronkon mames 

in West Indies: tipid

Floral Description:

According to Flora of Pakistan

A large deciduous tree with dark grey bark, usually cracked, young parts usually hairy. Leaves bipinnate, rachis 7.5-15 cm long, glabrous or tomentose, with a large gland 1.2-3.7 cm from the base; stipules c. 3-4 mm long, linear, caducous, tomentose. Pinnae 1-4 pairs, 5-20 cm long, often with glands between the upper pairs of leaflets or between all the pairs. Leaflets 3-9 pairs, petiolule c. 1 mm long, the lateral leaflets oblong, terminal obovate, obtuse or retuse, glabrous or hairy. Inflorescence pedunculate heads, solitary or fasciculated; peduncle 3.5-10 cm long. Flowers whitish, very fragrant, pedicel hairy, c. 2-3 mm long, bracteate; bract 5 mm long, linear, caducous. Calyx campanulate 3-4 mm long, hairy, short toothed, teeth deltoid-acute. Corolla 7-8 mm long, funnel shaped, lobes c. 2 mm long, ovate, acute, hairy externally. Stamens 2.5-3.8 cm long, staminal tube slight¬ly shorter than corolla tube, anthers minute. Pod 15-30 cm long, c. 2.5-5.0 cm broad, thin, pale straw coloured. Seeds 6-12 compressed, pale brown, faveolate on both the faces.

Distribution: W. Pakistan, widely cultivated; Tropical Asia; N. Australia and Tropical Africa.

Commonly planted as a roadside tree. Wood resembles walnut and is excellent for furniture, picture frames, house building, canoes etc. It is also used for cane crushers, oil mills and wheels.

According to Flora of China:

Trees, deciduous, 8-12 m tall. Bark rough. Branchlets mi­nutely pubescent, glabrous when old. Stipules caducous, small; leaf rachis with disklike glands near base and at base of pinnae, pubescent or glabrous; pinnae 2-4 pairs, 6-15 cm; leaflets 4-8 pairs, narrowly elliptic or slightly obliquely oblong, 2-4.5 × (0.9-)1.3-2 cm, both surfaces glabrous or abaxially sparsely finely pubescent, main vein slightly closer to upper margin, apex obtuse or retuse. Peduncles axillary, 2 or more together, to 10 cm; corymbs 30-40-flowered. Flowers dimorphic, fragrant; pedicels 3-4 mm, puberulent. Calyx funnel-shaped, ca. 4 mm, puberulent, with short teeth. Corolla green-yellow, funnel-shaped, 7-8 mm; lobes deltoid-ovate. Stamens white or light yellow-green; tube shorter than corolla tube. Ovary glabrous, sessile. Legume straw-colored, strap-shaped, flat, 15-28 × 2.5-4.5 cm, remaining on trees long after ripening. Seeds brown, 4-12, ellipsoidal, ca. 10 × 6-7 mm; pleurogram parallel to mar­gins of seed.

Planted along roadsides and in gardens. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan [native to tropical Africa; introduced or natu­ralized in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka].

This plant is grown as a roadside tree and is used ornamentally and for timber.

Phytochemical Constitutes:

Budmunchiamine A, Budmunchiamine B, Budmunchiamine C, Budmunchiamine F, Budmunchiamine L4, Budmunchiamine L5, Budmunchiamine L6, Epimesquitol-4alpha-ol, Epioritin-4alpha-ol, Kaempferol 3-rhamnosyl-(1->6)-glucosyl-(1->6)-galactoside, Leucopelargonidin, Melanoxetin, Quercetin 3-rhamnosyl-(1->6)-glucosyl-(1->6)-galactoside.

Pharmacological Activites and Uses

Fruits poisonous. Bark extract used against conception in women. Stem bark, flowers and seeds antimicrobial, astringent, cardiotonic, antibacterial, antiallergic, antifungal, tonic, antiinflammatory, antianaphylactic, antispermatogenic, antiandrogenic, hypocholesterolemic, psychoactive, for insect bites, cough, allergic disorders, rhinitis, edema, bronchial asthma, skin diseases, eczema, flu, high blood cholesterol, boils, diarrhea, poison; bark juice of Ficus auriculata with bark of Albizia lebbeck and Ficus rumphii applied on pox; bark powder mixed with milk of a black goat with turmeric to cure rheumatic joint pains; bark of Oroxylum indicum along with barks of Pterocarpus marsupium, Bridelia retusa, Dalbergia lanceolaria and Albizia lebbeck crushed with water and the extract given for jaundice; bark of Dalbergia lanceolaria along with prop roots of Ficus benghalensis and bark of Oroxylum indicum crushed with water and the extract given for jaundice; bark of Dalbergia lanceolaria

along with barks of Oroxylum indicum, Albizia lebbeck and Pterocarpus marsupium crushed with water and the extract given for jaundice; bark and seeds astringent, aphrodisiac, given in piles and diarrhea. Seed powder, latex of Euphorbia caducifolia (danda thor) and cow urine, applied on bleeding piles; seed paste applied to treat wound; seed paste with seeds of Abrus precatorius given to cure cataract. Root paste applied to relieve leprosy; root bark for dental care. Veterinary medicine, stem bark crushed and made into a paste applied around the rat bite, around the wound; bark powder with leaves of Piper betel and jaggery made into a paste and given to relieve fever; root bark of Dioscorea pentaphylla along with stem bark of Albizia lebbeck crushed and applied locally for rheumatism, the decoction given orally; leaves ground with those of Cleome gynandra and stem bark of Pongamia pinnata, a decoction dropped into nostrils in trypanosomiasis.