International Science Community Association International Research Journal of Biological Sciences 2278-3202 7 5 2018 05 10 Chemotaxonomic study and botanical overview of some Ziziphus spp. in Sudan 32 39 EN Akatah Hilda Abiola 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria Omonigho Solomon 2 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria Ibrahim Azeez God\'s Gift 3 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria Seyinde Doris Onolenmen 4 Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria Pal Supratim 1 Department of Zoology, University of Gour Banga, Mokdumpur, Malda, West Bengal-732103, India Debnath Sukanta 2 Department of Zoology, Raiganj University, College Para, Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal-733134, India Chakraborty Kaushik 3 Department of Zoology, University of Gour Banga, Mokdumpur, Malda, West Bengal-732103, India Faruq Abdulla Al 1 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 214122 Wuxi, Jiangsu, China Zhang Min 2 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 214122 Wuxi, Jiangsu, China and International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Jiangnan University, China Khatun Mst. Husne Ara 3 State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100190, China Azam S.M. Roknul 4 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 214122 Wuxi, Jiangsu, China R. Carlton 1 Department of Environmental Sciences, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, India C. Ravichandiran 2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, India Suthar Ashok M. 1 Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Indroda Nature Park, P. O. Sector-7, Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382 007, India Tatu Ketan S. 2 Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Indroda Nature Park, P. O. Sector-7, Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382 007, India Kamboj R.D. 3 Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Indroda Nature Park, P. O. Sector-7, Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382 007, India Ahmed Fatima Abdallah Mohammed 1 Northern Borders University, Rafha City, Saudi Arabia Sati Nuha Mohammed Elhassan 2 Northern Borders University, Rafha City, Saudi Arabia > Review Paper 2018 1 19 2018 05 10 The research aims to construct taxonomic keys for Ziziphus in Sudan, based on morphology and chemical components of fruits. This is by determination of the major chemical components of fruits of some species of the genus Ziziphus in the Sudan. The study also had surveyed the various uses of the genus in Sudanese rural areas. Plant materials were collected from different parts of Sudan, with special reference to the States of Gezira, Kordofan, Darfur and the White Nile. The collected plants were identified and synonymy was updated. Brief botanical species descriptions have been given with notes on geographical distribution and common uses. Fruits were chemically analyzed according to the methods adopted by the AOAC. These methods were used for the determination of the following contents: moisture, ash, crude, protein, fat, crude fiber, carbohydrates, reducing sugars, sucrose and the elements Ca, Mg, Fe, and P. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the determination of citric and ascorbic acid contents. Results of chemical data were analyzed using the variance ratio test (F-test) with a probability of 5%. The major findings of this study were that, five Ziziphus spp. were identified, namely: Z.spina-christi, Z.abyssinica, Z.mauritiana, Z.mucronata and Z.pubescens. Those species were multipurpose and have many uses such as food, medicine, rituals and often superstitions. Results of chemical analysis of three Ziziphus spp found a significant differences among the chemical components of Z.mauritiana, on one hand, and those of Z.spina-christi and Z.abyssinica on the other hand. These chemical variations could help to construct taxonomic keys for Ziziphus spp. in Sudan. Copyright@ International Science Community Association