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Malay Apple
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Malay Apple
ntroduced Photo: Aarti Khale
Common name: Malay Apple, Mountain Apple, Rose Apple • Hindi: मलै जामुन Malay jamun • Bengali: Malaka jamrul • Assamese: Pani-jamuk
Botanical name: Syzygium malaccense    Family: Myrtaceae (Bottlebrush family)
Synonyms: Eugenia malaccensis, Jambosa malaccensis

Malay Apple is native to Malaysia, but has been introduced in many tropical countries, including India. It is a medium sized tree, growing up to 60 ft tall. The evergreen leaves are opposite, soft leathery and dark green: the flowers are purplish - red and form a carpet after falling under the tree. The fruit is oblong to pear shaped with a dark red skin and white flesh; sometimes it is seedless. The fruit is oblong-shaped and dark red in color, although some varieties have white or pink skin. The flesh is white and surrounds a large seed. The flesh makes a jam prepared by stewing with brown sugar and ginger. The trunk of the Mountain Apple tree was used by the people of old Hawai'i to build beams for their hale, house and for fashioning bowls and poi-boards. A reddish brown dye for making patterns on tapa bark cloth, was processed from the bark and the root.
Medicinal uses: A decoction of the bark is used against vaginal infection, while the root is used to treat itching. The root is also effective against dysentery and as a diuretic. In Brazil, the plant is also used as a remedy for diabetes and constipation.

Identification credit: Tabish Photographed in Jeejamata Udyan, Mumbai.
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