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Syzygium malaccense

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Syzygium malaccense
Syzygium malaccense Flower and Fruit
Rare (NCA)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Syzygium
Species:
S. malaccense
Binomial name
Syzygium malaccense
(L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry, 1938
Synonyms[2]
17 synonyms
  • Caryophyllus malaccensis (L.) Stokes
  • Eugenia malaccensis L.
  • Jambosa malaccensis (L.) DC.
  • Myrtus malaccensis (L.) Spreng.
  • Eugenia domestica Baill.
  • Eugenia macrophylla Lam.
  • Eugenia pseudomalaccensis Linden
  • Eugenia purpurascens Baill.
  • Eugenia purpurea Roxb.
  • Jambosa domestica DC.
  • Jambosa laevis Montrouz.
  • Jambosa macrophylla (Lam.) DC.
  • Jambosa purpurascens DC.
  • Jambosa purpurea (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.
  • Myrtus lamarckii F.Dietr.
  • Myrtus macrophylla (Lam.) Spreng.
  • Syzygium laeve (Montrouz.) Govaerts

Syzygium malaccense is a species of flowering tree native to tropical Asia and Australia. It was cultivated from prehistoric times by the Austronesian peoples and introduced deliberately to remote Oceania as canoe plants. In modern times, it has been introduced throughout the tropics, including the Caribbean. The ripe fruit is edible but with little flavor.

Names

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Syzygium malaccense has a number of English common names. It is known as a Malay rose apple, or simply Malay apple, mountain apple, rose apple, Otaheite apple, pink satin-ash, plumrose and pommerac (derived from pomme Malac, meaning "Malayan apple" in French).[3] Despite the fact that it is sometimes called the Otaheite cashew, it is not related to cashew.[citation needed] While cashew nuts (but not cashew fruits) may trigger allergic reactions,[4][5] rose apple fruit has not been observed to do so.[6]

In Hawaii, S. malaccense is called mountain apple or 'Ōhi'a 'ai.[7] In Costa Rica, it is known as manzana de agua.[3] It is found mainly in the rainy zones on the Atlantic coast of the country. In Colombia, Puerto Rico, and other Latin American countries it is also found and known as poma rosa. In Venezuela, it is known as pumalaca.[8]

Description

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The tree is a medium to large perennial, growing 5–15 metres (16+12–49 ft) tall.[9] Its leaves are simple, elliptical, or oval-shaped with pointed tips and smooth edges. The leaves are thick and glossy above.[9] The flowers grow in clusters at the branch ends, displaying bright pink or red colors. The fruit is up to 10 centimetres (4 in) long, oval to bell-shaped, green when unripe, and deep red or pink to white with red streaks when ripe. It contains a single large seed inside.[9]

Distribution and habitat

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The species is native to tropical Asia and Australia.[3][10]

Cultivation

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The combination of tree, flowers and fruit has been praised as the most beautiful of its genus.[11]

Malay apple is a strictly tropical tree and will be damaged by freezing temperatures.[12] It thrives in humid climates with an annual rainfall of 152 cm (60 in) or more. It can grow at altitudes from sea level up to 2,740 m (8,990 ft). It flowers in early summer, bearing fruit three months afterward.

When the Polynesians reached the Hawaiian Islands, they brought plants and animals that were important to them. The mountain apple was one of these "canoe plants," arriving 1,000–1,700 years ago.[13] In modern times, it has been introduced throughout the tropics, including many Caribbean countries and territories.[14][15][16]

Uses

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The mountain apple is an edible fruit that can be consumed when raw and ripe. Its taste is bland but refreshing.[9] In 1793, Captain William Bligh was commissioned to procure edible fruits from the Pacific Islands for Jamaica, including this species.[17] He brought back this from Tahiti (called Otaheite at the time).

In Puerto Rico, the Malay apple is used to make wines, in Hawai'i, the fruits are consumed the same way a Pacific Northwest apple is eaten.[18] Indonesians consume the flowers of the tree in salads and in Guyana the skin of the mountain apple is cooked down to make a syrup.[18] A mountain apple has a white fleshy fruit that has a similar texture to a pear but less sweet than an apple. Jam can be prepared by stewing the flesh with brown sugar and ginger.[citation needed]

Coffee growers use the species to both divert birds and provide shade.[citation needed]

Nutrition

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Due to the high water content, the Mountain Apple is lower in calories than a Gala apple or a Fuji apple and contains a moderate amount of vitamins and minerals.[citation needed] Below is a chart with more nutrition information derived from Malay apples found in Hawai'i, El Salvador, and Ghana.

Food Value Per 100g of Edible Portion
Moisture 90.3–91.6 g
Protein 0.5–0.7g
Fat 0.1–0.2 g
Fiber 0.6–0.8 g
Ash 0.26–0.39 g
Calcium 5.6–5.9 g
Phosphorus 11.6–17.9 g
Iron 0.2–0.82 g
Carotene 0.003–0.008 mg
Vitamin A 3–10 I.U.
Thiamine 15–39 mcg
Riboflavin 20–39 g
Niacin 0.21–0.41 mg
Ascorbic Acid 6.5–17.0 mg
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI); IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2018). "Syzygium malaccense". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T136055196A136139387. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T136055196A136139387.en. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Syzygium malaccense". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  4. ^ Rance (2003). "Cashew allergy: observations of 42 children without associated peanut allergy". Allergy. 58 (12): 1311–1314. doi:10.1046/j.1398-9995.2003.00342.x. PMID 14616109. S2CID 25908660.
  5. ^ "Substance Info: Cashew Nut".
  6. ^ "Substance Info: Rose-apple".
  7. ^ Abbott, Isabella Aiona. (1992). Lā'au Hawai'i: traditional Hawaiian uses of plants. [Honolulu, Hawaii]: Bishop Museum Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-930897-62-5. OCLC 26509190.
  8. ^ "Syzygium malaccense". European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d "Syzygium malaccense - Mountain Apple, Malaysian Apple, 'Ohi'a 'Ai, Rose Apple, Malay Apple, Pomerac, Otaheite-apple". Hawaiian Plants and Tropical Flowers. 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  10. ^ F.A. Zich; B.P.M Hyland; T. Whiffen; R.A. Kerrigan (2020). "Syzygium malaccense". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, Edition 8. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  11. ^ Morton, Julia (1987). Fruits of Warm Climates. Florida Flair Books. p. 505. ISBN 978-0-9610184-1-2.
  12. ^ "Malay Apple". Plant Characteristics. Pine Island Nursery.
  13. ^ Whistler, W. Arthur (2009). Plants of the canoe people: an ethnobotanical voyage through Polynesia. National Tropical Botanical Garden. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-915809-00-4.
  14. ^ Dotte-Sarout, Emilie (2016). "Evidence of forest management and arboriculture from wood charcoal data: an anthracological case study from two New Caledonia Kanak pre-colonial sites". Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 26 (2): 195–211. doi:10.1007/s00334-016-0580-0. S2CID 132637794.
  15. ^ Whistler, W. Arthur; Elevitch, Craig R. (2006). "Syzygium malaccense (Malay apple) (beach hibiscus)". In Elevitch, Craig R. (ed.). Traditional Trees of Pacific Islands: Their Culture, Environment, and Use (PDF). Permanent Agricultural Resources (PAR). pp. 41–56. ISBN 9780970254450.
  16. ^ Blench, Roger (2004). "Fruits and arboriculture in the Indo-Pacific region". Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association. 24 (The Taipei Papers (Volume 2)): 31–50.
  17. ^ Hargreaves, Dorothy; Hargreaves, Bob. Tropical Trees of Hawaii. Kailua, Hawaii: Hargreaves. p. 45. ISBN 9780910690027.
  18. ^ a b Morton, Julia (1987). Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton. pp. 378–381. ISBN 0-9610184-1-0. Retrieved March 20, 2019.