Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Willd. is a multi-purpose plant and is very popular found in local markets because of its high nutritional and medicinal values. The present work was carried out to study morphological and chemical properties of native accessions of this species. There were significant differences among the accessions investigated based on the morphological and chemical characters. Total phenolic content ranged from 4.84 to 49.58 mg/g fresh weight (FW). Total flavonoid content varied from 0.45 to 2.29 mg/g FW. Antioxidant activity measured with DPPH ranged from 0.32 to 16.99 mg/g FW, while it ranged from 6.64 to 84.15 μM FeSO4 FW with the FRAP method. The total phenol content showed significant and positive correlations with total flavonoid content (r = 0.33), antioxidant activity obtained with DPPH (r = 0.85), and antioxidant activity obtained with FRAP (r = 0.54). The ward dendrograms divided the accessions studied into two major clusters based on morphological and chemical characteristics. Based on the traits related to fruit quality such as fruit weight, fruit skin color, and fruit flavor, as well as in terms of chemical characteristics related to medicinal properties such as total flavonoids and antioxidant activity, 17 accessions were superior that could be used in breeding programs or cultivated directly. The present results can be used in defining conservation strategies, genetic improvement, and crop production.
