Rose-apple Fruit
Syzygium jambos is a multipurpose tree that has been
cultivated for around 2,500 years. It
provides food, medicines and a range of commodities for the local population.
An attractive tree with showy cream-coloured flowers and dark-green foliage, it
is often grown as an ornamental and hedge plant in tropical gardens. Other names are malabar plum, champakka, chom
pu or chom-phu. plum rose, jambrosade
and pomarrosa.
A rose apple fruit is not a kind of rose. It is not an
apple either. It will come from the rose apple tree (that is recognized with
lots of titles, with respect to the nation). Rose apple fruits can also be
known as the bell fruit. This fruits usually are bell or pear shaped.
The edible fruit of syzygium jambos is shaped like some
kinds of guava, to which the plant is fairly closely related. In fact the fruit
is so like the guava in appearance that people unfamiliar with it may mistake
it for a guava on sight. However, the fragrance, flavour and texture are
different, and instead of containing dozens of small, hard seeds set in a
jelly-like tissue, as a guava does, the fruit of syzygium jambos usually
contains one or two large, unarmoured seeds about a 1cm in diameter, lying
loose in a slightly fluffy cavity when ripe. Shaking a fruit to feel whether
the seeds rattle, gives some indication whether it is ripe. The skin is thin
and waxy. The flowers are described by some as fragrant, though this appears to
be a variable attribute. The ripe fruit however, has a strong, pleasant floral
bouquet, hence such common names as "Rose apple" and "Pomarrosa".
The rose apple grows as a tree and reaches a height of 5-10
m. The leaves are longish and glossy. The gloss comes from the oil glands that
are on both sides of the leaf. The leaves get 25 cm long and 5 cm wide. The
young leaves are first reddish. The reddish colour vanishes while aging until
the leaves are dark green. The flowers are white. They get 3 cm in diameter.
The really spectacular parts of the flower are the stamens. They are 3 cm long
and therefore much longer than the corolla. The stamens are white and give the
flower a very filigree look. The flowers are clustered in inflorescences.
The fruit is a berry. It is round and reaches 5 cm in
diameter. If one cuts the fruit it smells like a rose. That is why the plant is
called rose apple. The fruits are edible. The pulp is slightly yellow. The
natives produce jam or juice from the berries. But they can also be eaten raw
with a little bit of sugar. The fruit contains just one or two seeds. The wood
is hardly used. This fruit tree is more used as an ornamental plant due to its
wonderful flowers. The rose apple is said to have a healing effect. It is used
against fever and skin irritations. However those effects are not scientific
proven.
The seeds of the rose apple do not need any pre-treatment.
They can be planted directly into the substrate. At a temperature of about 25°C
and constantly moist substrate, germination occurs after just 2 to 4 weeks. The
adult plant prefers a sunny place. The rose apple is not winter hardy.
Fruiting can be expected within 4 years, especially from
layered plants. In some areas it blooms and fruits sporadically nearly all the
year round, whilst in other areas it has a clear fruiting season. Trees in the
open usually fruit abundantly, but fruiting reduces as the shade
increases. In India, a mature rose apple
tree is said to yield 2 kg of fruit each season.
Several parts of the tree are used medicinally as a tonic
or a diuretic. In India, the fruit is
regarded as a tonic for the brain and liver. An infusion of the fruit acts as a
diuretic. A sweetened preparation of the
flowers is believed to reduce fever.
The seeds are employed against diarrhoea, dysentery and
catarrh. In Nicaragua, it has been claimed that an infusion of roasted,
powdered seeds is beneficial to diabetics. They say in Colombia that the seeds
have an anaesthetic property.
The leaf decoction is applied to sore eyes, also serves
as a diuretic and expectorant and treatment for rheumatism. The juice of
macerated leaves is taken as a febrifuge. Powdered leaves have been rubbed on
the bodies of smallpox patients for the cooling effect.
The bark contains 7-12 % tannin. It is astringent, emetic
and cathartic. The decoction is administered to relieve asthma, bronchitis and
hoarseness. Cuban people believe that
the root is an effective remedy for epilepsy.
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Fruits in the World - is not a finished project, new fruits are added every day..........
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