Scientific Name: Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. & L.M.Perry

Synonyms: Eugenia javanica Lam., Eugenia javanica var. parviflora Craib

Unique ID: 133

Systematic Position

Class: Dicotyledonae

Sub Class: Polypetalae                         

Series: Calyciflorae

Order: Myrtales

Family: Myrtaceae

Common Names

English –Java apple

Description: Syzygium samarangense is a tropical tree growing to 12 metres (39 ft) tall, with evergreen leaves 10–25 centimetres (4–10 in) long and 5–10 centimetres (2–4 in) broad. The leaves are elliptic, but rounded at the base; they are aromatic when crushed. The trunk is relatively short, with a wide – yet open – crown starting low on the tree. The bark is pinkish-gray in color, and flakes readily. The flowers are white to yellowish-white, 2.5 cm (1 in) diameter, with four petals and numerous stamens. They form in panicles of between 3 and 30 near branch tips. The resulting fruit is a bell-shaped, edible berry, with colors ranging from white, pale green, or green to red, purple, or crimson, to deep purple or even black. The fruit grows 4–6 centimetres (1.6–2.4 in) long in wild plants, and has 4 fleshy calyx lobes at the tip. The skin is thin, and the flesh is white and spongy. Each berry holds 1–2 rounded seeds not larger than .8 centimetres (0.3 in). The flowers and resulting fruit are not limited to the axils of the leaves, and can appear on nearly any point on the surface of the trunk and branches. When mature, the tree is considered a heavy bearer, yielding a crop of up to 700 fruits. When ripe, the fruit will puff outwards, with a slight concavity in the middle of the underside of the “bell”. Healthy wax apples have a light sheen to them.

Habitat: Plain areas, open areas, cultivated, forest edges

Distribution:  Eastern Asia

Uses:  Edible fruits, medicinal, agroforestry purpose, timber in construction