Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry

Malaysian apple (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Myrtales > Myrtaceae > Syzygium

Characteristics

Trees, to 15 m tall. Branchlets grayish brown when dry, stout, terete. Petiole ca. 1 cm; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 16-24 × 6-8 cm, leathery, abaxially yellowish brown when dry, adaxially dark green and not glossy when dry, secondary veins 11-14 on each side of midvein, 1-1.5 cm apart, and at an angle of ca. 45° from midvein, reticulate veins conspicuous, intramarginal veins 3-5 mm from margin and another inconspicuous intramarginal vein ca. 1 mm from margin, base cuneate, apex acute. Inflorescences lateral on older leafless branches, cymes, in 4-9-flowered clusters; peduncle very short. Flowers red, ca. 2.5 cm, stout, ridged. Hypanthium broadly obconic, ca. 1 × 1 cm. Calyx lobes 4, suborbicular, 5-6 × 7-8 mm, apex rounded. Petals rounded, ca. 1 × 1 cm, distinct. Stamens completely distinct, 1-1.3 cm. Style as long as stamens. Fruit ovoid to pot-shaped, ca. 4 cm, 1-seeded. Fl. May or Jan-Feb, fr. Apr-May.
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An evergreen tree 5 to 25 m tall. It spreads out to 4 m across. Trees tend to branch near the base. Leaves are simple, thick and leathery and shiny on both surfaces. They are large and oval. Leaves can be up to 25-30 cm long and 12 cm wide. The leaves have a vein around the edge of the leaf. Flowers are produced on old wood and on the trunk as well as in the angles where leaves join and at the ends of branches. Flowers are purple, crimson or white and 2.5 cm across. They mostly occur in dense clusters giving a brilliant display. The red stamens are often fallen under the tree. The fruit is rounded or oblong and 5-6 cm across by 6-8 cm long. The fruit has white flesh around a large brown seed. The seed is about 1.3 cm by 1.7 cm. Some kinds are seedless. The skin of the fruit is red or pink with darker stripes. The fruit are edible.
Conical tree 6–18 m tall with dense foliage and smooth flaky bark.. Leaves very variable, oblong to elliptic, 16–34 cm long, 5–15 cm wide, acute or acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, subcoriaceous; petiole 0.5–1.5 cm long.. Flowers crimson in ± sessile clusters on new or old wood.. Calyx 1.5 cm long, 8 mm wide with lobes ± round, 5 mm long, 4 mm wide.. Petals elliptic, 10 mm long, 8 mm wide, obtuse.. Fruit white, yellow, reddish or pink-blotched, obovoid or oblong-pyriform, 2.5–6 cm long, scented, crowned with enlarged green sepals.
Low trees with very dense rounded crown. Leaves large, oblong-elliptical, obtuse or acute at the base, acute or acuminate at the apex, coriaceous, glabrous, 20-30 cm. long and 8-18 cm. wide, the lateral nerves in about 10-14 pairs. In-florescences lateral, few-flowered. Flowers red. Receptacle glabrous. Sepals 4-8 mm. long. Petals orbiculate, red, 14-18 mm. long. Stamen filaments red, greatly exserted; anthers yellow. Berry obovoid, about 7 cm. long, whitish or yellowish or tinged with red.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 11.5 - 15.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) 0.3
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical plant. It suits hot, wet tropical lowlands. They grow in coastal areas in the tropics and up to 1000 m altitude. It is a rainforest species. It suits humid locations. They need fertile soil, plenty of moisture, and good drainage. They are sensitive to frost. It does best in an open sunny position. It can tolerate drought but does best where there is an absence of drought. It does not grow on atolls. It will grow with soil pH of 6.1-7.4. They occur in northeast Queensland in Australia and across Malesia. They have also been introduced into other regions. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
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A canopy or sub-canopy tree in rain forests in the lower mountain region. Moist, coastal areas. Common in villages, lowland secondary forests, and cultivated valleys from near sea-level up to 1,000 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked. They are also used in jam and pickles. The young leaves while still red are eaten. The flowers have also been recorded as being eaten. They are preserved in syrup or eaten in salads.
Uses animal food dye environmental use food fuel material medicinal timber wood
Edible flowers fruits leaves seeds shoots
Therapeutic use Dermatological Aid (bark), Emetic (bark), Gastrointestinal Aid (bark), Oral Aid (bark), Pediatric Aid (bark), Strengthener (bark), Astringents (bark), Stomatitis (leaf), Bactericide (unspecified), Bronchitis (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Flu (unspecified), Glossitis (unspecified), Itch (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Thrush (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Trees are normally grown from seed. Seeds need to be fresh. Seeds germinate in 2-4 weeks. They can be put in a nursery and transplanted after 8 months. Where termites are a problem damaging seedlings, growing them in light shade reduces the problem. Plants can be grown by budding, grafting, layering or cuttings. Aerial layering is probably the most common method for vegetative propagation. Budding onto rootstocks of the same species have proven successful, but they are rarely successful if rootstocks of related species are used. A spacing of 10 m between trees is suitable.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 22 - 28
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Syzygium malaccense leaf picture by pratiwir pratiwir (cc-by-sa)
Syzygium malaccense leaf picture by Socías Carrillo Antonio (cc-by-sa)
Syzygium malaccense leaf picture by Gonzalez Manuel (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Syzygium malaccense flower picture by pratiwir pratiwir (cc-by-sa)
Syzygium malaccense flower picture by Jun Tipay Culinares (cc-by-sa)
Syzygium malaccense flower picture by blob the flower (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Syzygium malaccense fruit picture by Noel Dionson (cc-by-sa)
Syzygium malaccense fruit picture by Cocola (cc-by-sa)
Syzygium malaccense fruit picture by Eva Antunes (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Syzygium malaccense world distribution map, present in American Samoa, Australia, Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Central African Republic, China, Cook Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Micronesia (Federated States of), Guadeloupe, Equatorial Guinea, Guam, Honduras, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Northern Mariana Islands, Martinique, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Niue, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Seychelles, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, Province of China, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Vanuatu, Samoa, and South Africa

Conservation status

Syzygium malaccense threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:601907-1
WFO ID wfo-0000318961
COL ID 546D5
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447412
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Jambosa purpurea Myrtus macrophylla Jambosa laevis Jambosa macrophylla Jambosa malaccensis Jambosa purpurascens Myrtus malaccensis Syzygium laeve Caryophyllus malaccensis Eugenia domestica Eugenia pseudomalaccensis Eugenia purpurascens Eugenia macrophylla Jambosa domestica Eugenia purpurea Jambosa domestica Eugenia malaccensis Syzygium malaccense