Myrtaceae FAMILY

Syzygium guineense

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

The poisonous bark has been reported to cause human deaths[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ].

Botanical Description

Water berry is an evergreen plant that varies widely in habit, from a small shrub only 30cm tall up to a large forest tree with a dense, heavy, rounded crown; it can grow 30 metres or more tall[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. , 398 Title Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania Publication Author Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. Publisher Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. Year 2002 ISBN 9966-896-60-0 Description A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants. ]. The bole is seldom of good shape, it can be branchless for up to 15 metres in large trees, up to 150cm in diameter and sometimes has buttresses up to 1.8 metres tall[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The tree is found in a wide range of habitats, indeed it occupies the widest range of habitats of any African plant[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild as a local source of food, medicines and wood. The fruits are sold in local markets and the wood is also traded locally[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. A handsome tree, it is often grown in gardens within its native range in order to provide shade[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical Africa - Senegal to Somalia, south to Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa; Arabian Peninsular - Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

HabitatFound in a very wide variety of habitats and elevations including sea shores, savannah, river banks and forests of various types at elevations from sea level to 2,100 metres[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. , 335 Title Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory Publication Author Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. Publisher U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Year 1987 ISBN Description A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics. , 398 Title Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania Publication Author Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. Publisher Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. Year 2002 ISBN 9966-896-60-0 Description A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants. ]. Usually found in moist conditions, sometimes even in water[ 418 Title Ecocrop Publication Author Website http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available. ].