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Ziziphus mistol
 
 
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Ziziphus mistol Griceb or mistol, is a spiniferous tree of the family Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae

Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species....
, that belongs to genus Ziziphus
Ziziphus

Ziziphus is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world....
, natural (and very abundant) of certain areas of Gran Chaco
Gran Chaco

The Gran Chaco , is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region, of the R?o de la Plata basin, divided between eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso....
, South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The word "mistol" derives from colonial era Spanish, from the word "mixture" (mezcla) since it was believed that mistol was a hybrid between species of genus Schinopsis
Schinopsis

Schinopsis is a genus of South American trees in the family Anacardiaceae. The species within this genus inhabit different regions of the Gran Chaco ecoregion including parts of northern Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay....
 because of the likely color of its wood to Spaniard colonists' perception.

mistol varies greatly in height, it may reach 10 to 15 meters though most individuals have no more than 4 to 9 meters high.






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Ziziphus mistol Griceb or mistol, is a spiniferous tree of the family Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae

Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species....
, that belongs to genus Ziziphus
Ziziphus

Ziziphus is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world....
, natural (and very abundant) of certain areas of Gran Chaco
Gran Chaco

The Gran Chaco , is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region, of the R?o de la Plata basin, divided between eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso....
, South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The word "mistol" derives from colonial era Spanish, from the word "mixture" (mezcla) since it was believed that mistol was a hybrid between species of genus Schinopsis
Schinopsis

Schinopsis is a genus of South American trees in the family Anacardiaceae. The species within this genus inhabit different regions of the Gran Chaco ecoregion including parts of northern Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay....
 because of the likely color of its wood to Spaniard colonists' perception.

Morphology

The mistol varies greatly in height, it may reach 10 to 15 meters though most individuals have no more than 4 to 9 meters high. Trunk diameter is also variable, it ranges 20 to 60 centimeters. The branches are pubescent, abundant, with spines near the leaves, and arranged in zig-zag. Its foliage is semi-deciduous
Semi-deciduous

Semi-deciduous is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage. Semi-deciduous plants lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting....
. Mistol leaves are oval shaped, alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, 2-7 cm long and slightly petiolated. It flowers late in spring, from October to December and fructifies from November to march. The fruit is an edible drupe, redish-hazel coloured, roughly spherical, 1-5 cm long, sweet and sugary, with a distinct bitterness when ripe.

Mistol wood is quite tough, heavy and enduring (hence its early confussion with that of Schinopsis genus). It is often used in hand held tools, carriage wheels and less frequently to produce slow burning coal.

Usage

Known for centuries before Spanish colonization of Gran Chaco, the mistol was a regular (or even key) dietary item for several local tribes of South American Indians
Indigenous peoples in South America

Indigenous peoples in the Americas in South America include:*Indigenous peoples in Brazil*Indigenous peoples in Colombia*Indigenous peoples in Ecuador...
 (comechingons
Comechingón

Comeching?n is the common name for a group of people indigenous to the Argentina Provinces of Argentina of C?rdoba Province and San Luis Province....
, diaguita
Diaguita

The Diaguita, also called Diaguita-Calchaqu?, are a group of South American indigenous peoples of the Americas. The Diaguita culture developed between the 8th and 16th centuries in what are now the provinces of Salta Province, Catamarca Province, La Rioja Province and Tucum?n Province in Argentine Northwest Argentina, and in the At...
s, quilmes
Quilmes (tribe)

The Quilmes people were an indigenous peoples of the Americas of the Diaguita group settled in the western Andes valleys of today?s Tucum?n Province province, in northwestern Argentina.) They fiercely resisted the Inca invasions of the 15th century, and continued to resist the Spain for 130 years, until being defeated in 1667....
, etc.). It can be eaten natural when ripe or processed. A known preparation with mistol fruit is arrope, an overcooked result of its juice, pulp and cane sugar. Mistol coffee is available in south american
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
 diet shops, it is becoming slowly popular due to the fact that it contains almost no caffeine
Caffeine

Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug and a mild diuretic. Caffeine was discovered by a German chemist, Friedrich Ferdinand Runge, in 1819....
 or other xanthine alkaloids.

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