Wikipedia Article About Chinese date on Wikipedia The Jujube, or Chinese Date (Simplified Chinese: 枣; Traditional Chinese: 棗; Hanyu Pinyin: zǎo; also hóng zǎo 红枣, dà zǎo, hēi zǎo, zǎozi; Wade–Giles: tsao; Korean: taechu 대추; Japanese: natsume ナツメ) is a small deciduous tree or shrub in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Its scientific name is Ziziphus zizyphus, synonym Z. jujuba. It is thought to be native to North Africa and Syria, but moved east through India to China, where it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years. The tree can reach a height of 5–12 m, with shiny-green leaves, and sometimes thorns. The many inconspicuous flowers are small, greenish or white, and produce an olive-sized fruit that is a drupe.