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Syzygium jambos
Myrtaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Syzygium jambos

Syzygium jambos

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The seeds are said to be poisonous[1]. An unknown amount of hydrocyanic acid has been reported in the roots, stems and leaves[1]. An alkaloid, jambosine, has been found in the bark of the tree and of the roots, and the roots are considered poisonous[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthMedium

Flourishes in tropical and near-tropical climates only, usually below elevations of 1,200 metres but up to 2,300 metres in Ecuador[1]. It succeeds in dry areas, but fruits best in more humid regions[2]. At its climatic limits, as in California, the tree grows vigorously but will not bear fruit[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 38°c, but can tolerate 5 - 40°c[3]. The mature plant can tolerate occasional temperatures down to about -3°c[4]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,600mm, but tolerates 700 - 4,000mm[3]. It dislikes dry seasons unless growing in soils with adequate moisture levels[5]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil in full sun or part day shade[6]. Young plants require some shade and a moist environment[3]. Tolerates poor, sandy and alkaline soils[2], but grows slowly and reproduces poorly[5]. Often found in poorly drained soils[5]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 8[3]. The tree is said to tolerate wind and salt[7]. The trees have naturalized themselves thoroughly in the wetter parts of Guatemala[8]. Natural regenerarion from seed on suitable sites is generally abundant and will proceed under almost any condition[5]. Young plants have a slow rate of growth, speeding up as they grow older[1, 2, 5]. Two year old plants are around 80cm tall, up to 3 metres by the age of 7 and to 4.5 metres at the age of 10 years[5]. Trees coppice very vigorously[5]. A plant can produce dense stands of sprouts up to 3.6 metres tall just 12 months after being cut back to ground level[5]. Fruiting can be expected within 4 years, especially from layered plants[1, 5]. In some areas it blooms and fruits sporadically nearly all the year round, whilst in other areas it has a clear fruiting season[1]. Trees in the open usually fruit abundantly, but fruiting reduces as the shade increases[5]. In India, a mature rose apple tree is said to yield 2 kg of fruit each season. The fruits are, of course, very light in weight because they are hollow, but this is a very small return for a tree that occupies so much space[1]. Trees coppice very vigorously[5].

Propagation

Seed - the seeds have a very short viability and no dormancy; they usually germinate well within 10 - 120 days if sown fresh[9, 4, 5]. Surface sow the seed in a shady position, firming it gently into the soil, and water well but be careful not to wash the seed away[5]. A single seed often gives rise to 3 - 8 seedlings and most of them are true to type[9]. Young plants transplant badly, so should be potted up into individual containers as soon as they are large enough to handle and before the roots have grown much[5]. Young plants need some shade[9]. Air layering. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Syzygium+jambos>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects, Self

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  3. [3]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  4. [4]Trade Winds Fruit — http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/index.htm ↩︎The on-line catalogue of a company selling seeds. Gives descriptions, photos and uses of a very wide range of fruit and other food-producing plants plus ornamentals.
  5. [5]Syzygium jambos (L.) Alst. Rose apple. Myrtaceae. Myrtle family . — Francis J.K. · USDA Forest Service; New Orleans. · 1990 · http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/30405 ↩︎A very detailed article on Syzygium jambos. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  6. [6]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  7. [7]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  8. [8]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  9. [9]Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand. RAP — Suranant Subhadrabandhu · F. A. O., The United Nations, Bangkok. · 2001 · http://www.fao.org/3/a-ab777e.pdf ↩︎A detailed report on 35 fruit species that could have potential for increased production in Thailand. The report can be downloadd as a PDF from the internet.
  10. [10]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  11. [11]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
  12. [12]Tropical Food Gardens — Norrington. L. · Bloomings Books (Melbourne) · 2001 · ISBN 1-876473-41-x ↩︎Excellent little book giving some basic information on a range of plants.
  13. [13]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  14. [14]Asean Tropical Plant Database — http://211.114.21.20/tropicalplant/index.jsp ↩︎Terse details, with photos, of many of the plants growing in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. Gives some details of plant uses along with a description of the plant and its range.