File:Ber (Hindi- बेर) (433673773).jpg

Botanical name: Zizyphus mauritiana - [ (ZIZ-ih-fuss) an ancient Greek name derived from the Persian word zizafun; (maw-rih-tee-AY-nuh) of or from Mauritiana, a North African area ] Family: Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family) - [ (RAM-nuh-see-ay) derived from generic name Rhamnus meaning shrub with a thorn, old name for buckthorn ]

Origin: South Asia (mainly India)

Common names of Zizyphus mauritiana: Arabic: beri, bor, nabbak el fil • Bambara: ntomono, ntomoro • Burmese: zee pen, zizidaw • Chinese: dian ci zao, suan zao • English: chinese apple, chinese date, cottony jujube, indian jujube, indian plum, sour jujube, yunnan jujube, yunnan spiny jujube • French: jujubier de l'inde • German: filzblättrige jujube • Hausa: magaria • Hindi: banber, बेर ber, kandiari, kandika, pitni, singli • Japanese: indo natsume • Kashmiri: bari, konkamber, phitni • Khmer: putrea • Konkani: boaarr • Laotian: than • Malay: bidara, dara, epal siam, jujub, widara • Manipuri: boroi • Marathi: बोर bor, ranbor, uneb • Persian: zizafun, zizfum • Punjabi: amlai, barari, simli, singli • Sanskrit: बद्री badri • Spanish: azufaifo indio • Swahili: mkunazi • Tagalog: manzanitas • Tamil: எளந்தை elandhai • Thai: phutsaa • Urdu: بير ber • Vietnamese: tao, tao nhuc • other, all African names: bagende, bu sédem, darey, deem, dim, gic, ingic, jaabé, jaabi, magunuga, muegunga, mufniga, mugulanga, nged, ngic, ngit, sideem, sédeem, tôbôrô

Ber (Hindi: बेर) is a small or medium sized subtropical tree, popular for its small berry like fruit. It grows wild in forests and also on wastelands throughout the mid-hills up to elevations of 1,400 metres. The small fruits are liked by children as well as by adults.

A small spreading tree, with drooping branches; height, 5 to 8 metres; trunk girth, 85 cm; bark, rough, gray or dull black, irregularly cracked, covered with a thick layer of green moss in the case of older trees and, thus, looking green. Leaves, ovate, petiolate (petiole, 5 mm long), having very fine serration, 3.8 cm long, 2.9 cm broad, dark green and shining from above, white tomentose from beneath. The flowers are yellowish and born in clusters along the leaf axils and this is shortly followed by the rounded fruit which can be anywhere from three-quarters of an inch to an inch-and-a-half in size.

Trees are easily propagated by seeds, however, seedlings take two to three years to start fruit production.

Courtesy: - Flowers of India - TopTropicals - Dave's Garden - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database