Syzygium samarangense

Last updated

Syzygium samarangense
Hoa cua loai roi.jpg
Syzygium fruit.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Syzygium
Species:
S. samarangense
Binomial name
Syzygium samarangense
Synonyms [2]
  • Myrtus samarangensis Blume
  • Jambosa samarangensis (Blume) DC.
  • Eugenia samarangensis (Blume) O.Berg
  • Myrtus obtusissima Blume
  • Jambosa obtusissima (Blume) DC.
  • Eugenia alba Roxb.
  • Jambosa alba (Roxb.) G.Don
  • Jambosa ambigua Blume
  • Jambosa timorensis Blume
  • Eugenia mindanaensis C.B.Rob.

Syzygium samarangense is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to an area that includes the Greater Sunda Islands, Malay Peninsula, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but introduced in prehistoric times to a wider area [3] and now widely cultivated in the tropics. Common names in English include wax apple, [3] Java apple, Semarang rose-apple, and wax jambu. [4]

Contents

Description

Syzygium samarangense is a tropical tree growing to 12 m (39 ft) tall, with evergreen leaves 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) broad. The leaves are elliptical, 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. [3] [5]

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 three 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 cm (1.6–2.4 in) long in wild plants, and has four fleshy calyx lobes at the tip. The skin is thin, and the flesh is white and spongy. Each berry holds one or two rounded seeds not larger than .8 cm (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 up to 700 fruits in a crop. [3] [5]

When ripe, the fruit puff outwards, with a slight concavity in the middle of the underside of the "bell". Healthy wax apples have a light sheen to them. Despite its name, a ripe wax apple only resembles an apple on the outside in color. It does not taste like an apple, and it has neither the fragrance nor the density of an apple. Its flavor is similar to a snow pear, and the liquid-to-flesh ratio of the wax apple is comparable to a watermelon. Unlike either apple or watermelon, the wax apple's flesh has a very loose weave. The very middle holds a seed situated in a sort of cotton candy-like mesh. This mesh is edible, but flavorless. The color of its juice depends on the cultivar; it may be purple to entirely colorless.[ citation needed ]

Composition

Nutrition

Rose-apples, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 105 kJ (25 kcal)
5.70 g
Fat
0.30 g
0.60 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Thiamine (B1)
2%
0.020 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
3%
0.030 mg
Niacin (B3)
5%
0.800 mg
Vitamin C
27%
22.3 mg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
3%
29 mg
Iron
1%
0.07 mg
Magnesium
1%
5 mg
Phosphorus
1%
8 mg
Potassium
3%
123 mg
Sodium
0%
0 mg
Zinc
1%
0.06 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Cholesterol 0 mg

Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

Uses

Culinary

Several cultivars with larger fruit have been selected. In general, the paler or darker the color, the sweeter it is.[ clarification needed ]

In Southeast Asia, the black ones are nicknamed "Black Pearl" or "Black Diamond", while the very pale greenish-white ones, called "Pearl", are among the highest-priced ones in fruit markets. The fruit is often served uncut, but with the core removed, to preserve the unique bell-shaped presentation.

In the Indian Ocean islands cuisine, the fruit is frequently used in salads, as well as in lightly sautéed dishes. It is mainly eaten as a fruit and also used to make pickles (chambakka achar).

In the Philippines, its local name is macopa or makopa (its ancient name before colonialism, is dambo). [3] Because of their similarity in appearance, it is often confused with tambis ( Syzygium aqueum ), [6] although the latter is more commonly cultivated.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pear</span> Species of fruit

Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus Pyrus, in the family Rosaceae, bearing the pomaceous fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are valued for their edible fruit and juices, while others are cultivated as trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persimmon</span> Edible fruit

The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The most widely cultivated of these is the kaki persimmon, Diospyros kaki – Diospyros is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-persimmon species of the genus are grown for ebony timber. In 2019, China produced 75% of the world total of persimmons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackfruit</span> Tree in the Moracae family

The jackfruit is the fruit of jack treeArtocarpus heterophyllus, a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as 55 kg in weight, 90 cm in length, and 50 cm in diameter. A mature jackfruit tree produces some 200 fruits per year, with older trees bearing up to 500 fruits in a year. The jackfruit is a multiple fruit composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers, and the fleshy petals of the unripe fruit are eaten.

<i>Prunus virginiana</i> Species of plant

Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America.

<i>Chrysophyllum cainito</i> Species of tree

Chrysophyllum cainito is a tropical tree of the family Sapotaceae. It is native to the Isthmus of Panama, where it was domesticated. It has spread to the Greater Antilles and the West Indies and is now grown throughout the tropics, including Southeast Asia. It grows rapidly and reaches 20 meters in height.

<i>Mammea americana</i> Species of tree

Mammea americana, commonly known as mammee, mammee apple, mamey, mamey apple, Santo Domingo apricot, tropical apricot, or South American apricot, is an evergreen tree of the family Calophyllaceae, whose fruit is edible. It has also been classified as belonging to the family Guttiferae Juss. (1789), which would make it a relative of the mangosteen.

<i>Annona squamosa</i> Species of tree

Annona squamosa is a small, well-branched tree or shrub from the family Annonaceae that bears edible fruits called sugar apples or sweetsops. It tolerates a tropical lowland climate better than its relatives Annona reticulata and Annona cherimola helping make it the most widely cultivated of these species. Annona squamosa is a small, semi-(or late) deciduous, much-branched shrub or small tree 3 to 8 metres tall similar to soursop. It is a native of tropical climate in the Americas and West Indies, and Spanish traders aboard the Manila galleons docking in the Philippines brought it to Asia.

<i>Syzygium cumini</i> Species of tree

Syzygium cumini, commonly known as Malabar plum, Java plum, black plum, jamun, jaman, jambul, or jambolan, is an evergreen tropical tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae, and favored for its fruit, timber, and ornamental value. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Andaman Islands. It can reach heights of up to 30 metres (98 ft) and can live more than 100 years. A rapidly growing plant, it is considered an invasive species in many world regions.

<i>Ziziphus mauritiana</i> Species of plant

Ziziphus mauritiana, also known as Indian jujube, Indian plum, Chinese date, Chinee apple, ber and dunks is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused with the closely related Chinese jujube, but whereas Z. jujuba prefers temperate climates, Z. mauritiana is tropical to subtropical.

<i>Pouteria campechiana</i> Species of plant

Pouteria campechiana is an evergreen tree native to, and cultivated in, southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador. It is cultivated in other countries, such as India, Costa Rica, Brazil, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the Philippines. The edible part of the tree is its fruit, which is colloquially known as an egg fruit.

<i>Chrysobalanus icaco</i> Species of tree

Chrysobalanus icaco, the cocoplum, paradise plum, abajeru or icaco, is a low shrub or bushy tree found near sea beaches and inland throughout tropical Africa, tropical Americas and the Caribbean, and in southern Florida and the Bahamas. An evergreen, it is also found as an exotic species on other tropical islands, where it has become a problematic invasive. Although taxonomists disagree on whether Chrysobalanus icaco has multiple subspecies or varieties, it is recognized as having two ecotypes, described as an inland, much less salt-tolerant, and more upright C. icaco var. pellocarpus and a coastal C. icaco var. icaco. Both the ripe fruit of C. icaco, and the seed inside the ridged shell it contains, are considered edible.

<i>Diospyros nigra</i> Species of tree

Diospyros nigra, the black sapote, is a species of persimmon. Common names include chocolate pudding fruit, black soapapple and zapote prieto. The tropical fruit tree is native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. The common name sapote refers to any soft, edible fruit. Black sapote is not related to white sapote nor mamey sapote. The genus Diospyros has numerous other fruit bearing tree species in addition to the persimmons and black sapote.

<i>Syzygium jambos</i> Species of fruit and plant

Syzygium jambos is a species of rose apple originating in Southeast Asia and occurring widely elsewhere, having been introduced as an ornamental and fruit tree.

<i>Syzygium malaccense</i> Species of plant

Syzygium malaccense is a species of flowering tree native to tropical Asia and Australia. It is one of the species cultivated since prehistoric times by the Austronesian peoples. They were carried and introduced deliberately to Remote Oceania as canoe plants. In modern times, it has been introduced throughout the tropics, including many Caribbean countries and territories.

<i>Borassus flabellifer</i> Palmyra palm, toddy palm

Borassus flabellifer, commonly known as doub palm, palmyra palm, tala or tal palm, toddy palm, lontar palm, wine palm, or ice apple, is a fan palm native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is reportedly naturalized in Socotra and parts of China.

<i>Syzygium aqueum</i> Species of tree

Syzygium aqueum is a species of brush cherry tree. Its common names include watery rose apple, water apple and bell fruit, and jambu in Malay and several Indian languages.

<i>Syzygium australe</i> Species of tree

Syzygium australe, with many common names that include brush cherry, scrub cherry, creek lilly-pilly, creek satinash, and watergum, is a rainforest tree native to eastern Australia. It can attain a height of up to 35 m with a trunk diameter of 60 cm. In cultivation, this species is usually a small to medium-sized tree with a maximum height of only 18m.

<i>Syzygium guineense</i> Species of tree

Syzygium guineense is a leafy forest tree of the family Myrtaceae, found in many parts of Africa both wild and domesticated. Both its fruits and leaves are edible; the pulp and the fruit skin are sucked and the seed discarded. It is sometimes called "waterberry", but this may also refer to other species of Syzygium.

<i>Chrysophyllum oliviforme</i> Species of flowering plant

Chrysophyllum oliviforme, commonly known as the satinleaf, is a medium-sized tree native to Florida, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and Belize. It is also known as damson plum, wild star-apple and saffron-tree. It gets the name "satinleaf" from the distinctive colors of the leaves. The top of the leaf is dark green while the bottom is light brown or copper. This distinctive look makes it a very aesthetically pleasing tree that is commonly used as an ornamental in yards and public spaces.

<i>Syzygium alliiligneum</i> Species of plant in the family Myrtaceae

Syzygium alliiligneum, commonly known as onionwood, Mission Beach satinash or bark in the wood is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to a small part of north eastern Queensland.

References

  1. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2018). "Syzygium samarangense". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T136144075A136144077. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T136144075A136144077.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Syzygium samarangense". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Julia F. Morton (1987). "Java apple". Fruits of Warm Climates. Miami, FL: Florida Flair Books. pp. 381–382. ISBN   978-0-9610184-1-2.
  4. "Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. & L.M.Perry". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Syzygium samarangense". Singapore National Parks.
  6. Janick, Jules; Paull, Robert (2008). The Encyclopedia of Fruits and Nuts. CABI. pp. 552, 553. ISBN   9780851996387.