Ziziphus mucronata subsp. mucronata canopy

In season the leafy crown of Ziziphus mucronata subsp. mucronata may spread widely, sometimes into a rounded canopy.

Big lateral branches may dominate or droop, the main stem often crooked or branching from low down. An old tree often has an irregular shape, depending on what and how much grew close-by over its lifetime. Trunks of about 45 cm in diameter occur. The bark is grey to dark grey, fissuring into small rectangular pieces.

The wood is hard, heavy and fine-textured; the heartwood yellow-brown, while the sapwood is yellow. As timber it is used for tool handles and turning, sometimes also as a general purpose timber although it warps easily.

This species is not considered threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Grant and Thomas, 2001; www.redlist.sanbi.org).