Elandai, ber in Hindi, is Indian jujube, a thorny, hardy tree of dry India whose small, sour-sweet fruits ripen in winter. Improved varieties such as Gola, Umran and apple ber are grown in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu makes elandai vadai, dried ber pounded with jaggery and chilli. In the Ramayana, Shabari offers ber to Rama. It is a different species from Chinese jujube, unnab.
- Botanical name
- Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.
- Family
- Rhamnaceae
- Tamil
- Elandai
- Hindi
- Ber
- Sanskrit
- Badara
- Parts used
- Fruit
- Habit
- Thorny dry-country tree with small sour-sweet fruit
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Elandai
It is a small, spreading tree or shrub with drooping branches and paired spines, one straight and one hooked.
The leaves are oval, glossy green above and covered in pale, woolly hairs below, with three veins from the base.
Tiny greenish-yellow flowers grow in clusters in the leaf axils.
The fruit is a round to oval drupe, green turning yellow, red or brown, with crisp, juicy flesh around a hard stone.
Chinese jujube has smooth leaves and drops them in winter.
Traditional use of Elandai
Kitchen
Ber is eaten fresh with salt, and dried ber is pounded with jaggery and chilli into elandai vadai.
Indian food practice
Ritual
Ber fruits are offered to Shiva at Maha Shivaratri in North India.
North Indian ritual practice
Farming
The leaves are lopped as fodder and are a host for the lac insect in some regions.
Indian farm practice
Modern notes on Elandai
Ber is rich in vitamin C.
Grafted improved varieties produce much larger fruits than wild trees.
It has become an invasive weed in northern Australia.
Elandai safety
Ber is a safe fruit. Remove the stone before giving it to small children. The thorns cause painful scratches.
Ecology and sourcing
It grows wild across dry India, Africa and South-east Asia.
Bees and flies visit the small flowers.
It tolerates drought, heat and poor soil.
Related plants
Also in Rhamnaceae
Questions about Elandai
Is ber the same as unnab?
No. Unnab is Chinese jujube.
What is elandai vadai?
Dried ber pounded with jaggery and chilli.
When is ber in season?
In winter.
Is apple ber a different plant?
No. It is a variety of Indian jujube.
Why does Elandai have two kinds of spines?
One straight and one hooked spine grow at each node.
Sources
- Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q327859 (Ziziphus mauritiana)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.