Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Well-suited

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 38 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today · 2 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

›

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

›

Arizona Mountains forests

›

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

›

Blue Mountains forests

›

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

›

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

›

Central Tallgrass prairie

›

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

›

Chilean Matorral

›

What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate water

Spacing

240"

Habit

Small droopy-branched, somewhat spiny deciduous tree or large shrub

Care tips

•

Give it full sun and a hot site — jujube fruits best where summers are long and warm.

•

Choose a named cultivar and allow a long growing season; in cool-summer northern gardens the fruit may not ripen.

•

Site away from lawns and beds: plants sucker from the roots, and the branches carry sharp stipular spines.

Lifecycle

Planting

Easily grown in average, medium-moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Best in hot and somewhat dry climates. Avoid heavy, poorly drained soils. Tolerates alkaline soils (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder).

Transplanting

Move while dormant. Plants sucker from the roots, so site away from beds where root suckers would be a nuisance.

Early growth

Water regularly and consistently while establishing — although mature plants have some drought tolerance, the Missouri Botanical Garden notes plants perform best with regular and consistent moisture.

Maturity

Matures over time to 15-30 ft tall. Fragrant white to yellowish-green flowers bloom in the leaf axils from late spring to early summer, followed by round-to-elongate drupes typically about 1 1/4 in long. Fruits can be difficult to ripen in the northern part of the range where the growing season is not long enough (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder).

Propagation

Often propagated by root suckers and grafting of named selections; the species can also be grown from seed. Verify cultivar-specific guidance before propagating named selections.

Pollination

Self-fertile (better with a partner)

The Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder describes fragrant white to yellowish-green flowers and does not state a pollinizer requirement for the straight species; many cultivated jujubes are self-fertile but set heavier crops with a second cultivar nearby. Confirm pollination needs for a specific named cultivar before relying on a single tree.

For people

Edible

Grown primarily in home gardens for its fruit. The round-to-elongate drupe is sweet and crisp like an apple when ripening from green to red, and wrinkles to a date-like fruit (the "Chinese date") as it matures to red-brown. Fruits may be eaten fresh or dried, candied, or canned (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder).

Native range

AHS heat range

6-12

Climate notes

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists Ziziphus jujuba for USDA zones 6 to 9 in full sun with medium water, growing 15-30 ft tall and 15-25 ft wide; native range is temperate Asia (native from southeastern Europe to China).

•

Best in hot and somewhat dry climates; tolerates alkaline soils and mature plants have some drought tolerance, though the Missouri Botanical Garden notes they perform best with regular, consistent moisture. Avoid heavy, poorly drained soils.

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder reports no serious insect or disease problems, but cautions that fruits can be difficult to produce in the northern parts of the range because the growing season is not long enough for the fruit to properly ripen.

•

Tolerates warm to extreme summer heat — a hot-dry-climate fruit tree at the warm end of its USDA 6-9 window; heat tolerance is a planting strength rather than a limit.

In the designer

Growth over time

180-360" tall · 180-300" spread

Mature 15-30 ft droopy-branched tree in full fruit.

Design roles: Focal point · Edible · Structure

Seasonal interest

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Filled = the plant has seasonal interest · ▾ now = your current season

Jujube

At a glance

Related products

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

For people

Native range

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Sources & citations