As it matures on the tree, it will gradually turn from a light green to a dark brown and become wrinkled. A single seed is inside the fruit and the dark brown appearance and this seed gives rise to the common name, Chinese Date. The texture and flavor more closely resemble that of an apple than a date. Varieties of jujube trees in Texas are propagated either by seed or root sprouts from stands of trees scattered around the state. It has edible flesh when picked from the tree and is somewhat later than the other varieties.
Texture is crisp when harvested at the proper time.
At maturity, skin color is mahogany and the fruit should be harvested before the skin becomes wrinkled. Lang is the most widely grown named variety in Texas. It produces heavy crops of large pear shaped fruit that matures ahead of the Li variety. Lang produces a more spreading tree than other jujube trees. The fruit is red skinned at maturity.