Jambos, Rose Apple, Plum Rose
Syzygium jambos

Family: Myrtaceae

What it is like

Originated from Southeast Asia, Syzygium jambos or Jambos is an ornamental and fruit tree up to 15 m in height. It has dark brown and smooth bark. The leaves are lanceolate, dark, and glossy green. The flowers are formed into clusters at the end of branches. Plant parts are used medicinally against fever, diarrhea, dysentery, catarrh, diabetes, sore eyes, rheumatism, smallpox, asthma, bronchitis, and hoarseness. The fruits, juicy and sweet, can be eaten raw, cooked, or processed into desserts. The flowers can be candied. Essential oil from the plant is used to make perfume. The bark contains tannin and brown dye. The wood is medium heavy to heavy, strong, and susceptible to termite attacks. It is used for fence posts, plant stakes, furniture, construction, etc. It also makes great fuel and charcoal.

Syzygium jambos is an evergreen Tree growing to 8 m (26ft) by 8 m (26ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 8

Where it is found

Open places, generally around villages, at elevations of 600 - 1,400 metres in Nepal. Most commonly found in moister habitats such as stream banks, becoming more frequent at higher elevations as rainfall levels rise.

E. Asia - Malaysia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Bangladesh; China; India; Indonesia; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; Thailand; Viet Nam, Africa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, Ghana, Guiana, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, Zimbabwe,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - usually eaten raw, the fruit can also be stewed, made into jams, jellies, confections etc. A sweet flavour with a crisp and crunchy texture, the fruit is somewhat to very juicy and has a delicate, rose-water fragrance. When cooked with custards or puddings, they impart a rose-like flavour. The large, hollow seed cavity is sometimes utilized to stuff the fruits and bake them .The fruit has to be handled very carefully after harvesting because it bruises easily and then loses its crispness. The fruit is up to 4cm x 6cm. Around the tropical world, the fruit is mostly eaten out-of-hand by children. It is seldom marketed. In the home, it is sometimes stewed with some sugar and served as dessert. The fruit can be distilled to yield a rosewater that is said to be equal to the best obtained from rose petals. Flowers - candied.

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Medicine

Rating: 2

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 7-12.4% 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.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Cathartic: A strong laxative but less violent than a purgative.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Epilepsy: Used in the treatment of Epilepsy - a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.

Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 4

Agroforestry Uses: If the young plants are pruned severely, they become very dense and form an effective if not particularly handsome wind-break hedge. Plants develop massive root systems and can be useful for stabilizing soils on river banks. However, the dense top growth can stop any plant growth underneath, and this has sometimes led to sheet erosion unless the crown is thinned. Bees produce a heavy, consistent flow of amber honey from the flowers. Other Uses A yellow coloured essential oil, important in the perfume industry, is derived from the leaves by distillation. It contains, among other properties, 26.84% dl-a-pinene and 23.84% l-limonene, and can be resorted to as a source of these elements for use in the perfume industry. The bark contains 7% tannin on a dry weight basis and is used by local villagers for tanning and dyeing purposes. The bark also yields a brown dye. The flexible branches split easily. They are valued for making wattle, hoops for large sugar casks, and also are valued for weaving large baskets. The heartwood is dark-red or brown; the sapwood is white. The wood is straight and close-grained, medium-heavy to heavy, strong. It is not durable in the ground and is prone to attack by dry wood termites. It is usually too small for many purposes, but is commonly used for fenceposts, plant stakes etc, and larger pieces can be used to make furniture, spokes for wheels, arms for easy chairs, knees for all kinds of boats, beams for construction, frames for musical instruments (violins, guitars, etc.), and packing cases. It is also popular for general turnery. The wood makes an excellent fuel and charcoal.

Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.

Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Weaving: Items such as grass and palm leaves that are woven together for making mats, baskets etc. See also Basket making and Fibre.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

Coppice: A traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down.

Hedge: Hedge

Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent

How it is grown

Flourishes in tropical and near-tropical climates only, usually below elevations of 1,200 metres but up to 2,300 metres in Ecuador. It succeeds in dry areas, but fruits best in more humid regions. At its climatic limits, as in California, the tree grows vigorously but will not bear fruit. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 38°c, but can tolerate 5 - 40°c. The mature plant can tolerate occasional temperatures down to about -3°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,600mm, but tolerates 700 - 4,000mm. It dislikes dry seasons unless growing in soils with adequate moisture levels. Succeeds in any reasonable soil in full sun or part day shade. Young plants require some shade and a moist environment. Tolerates poor, sandy and alkaline soils, but grows slowly and reproduces poorly. Often found in poorly drained soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 8. The tree is said to tolerate wind and salt. The trees have naturalized themselves thoroughly in the wetter parts of Guatemala. Natural regenerarion from seed on suitable sites is generally abundant and will proceed under almost any condition. Young plants have a slow rate of growth, speeding up as they grow older. 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. Trees coppice very vigorously. A plant can produce dense stands of sprouts up to 3.6 metres tall just 12 months after being cut back to ground level. 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. 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. Trees coppice very vigorously. Bloom Color: White/Near White Cream/Tan.

Propagating it: Seed - the seeds have a very short viability and no dormancy; they usually germinate well within 10 - 120 days if sown fresh. 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. A single seed often gives rise to 3 - 8 seedlings and most of them are true to type. 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. Young plants need some shade. Air layering.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 9-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

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

Its other names

Local names

Pomarosa, Wax Apple, Jambu Mawa, Poma Rosa, Chom pu nam, Chom pu, Chumpu sa, Farang nam, Golabjamli, Golapi jamu, Gulab jamun, Gulabjamb, Jambavam, Jambu bulu, Jambu desrana, Jambu kelampok, Jambu mawar, Jambuneereedu, Jamrul, Jamun, Kavika ni vavalagi, Malabar-plum, Malakkachampa, Mjambosa, Mjamini, Pannerale, Pannirkoyya, Perunaval, Rose-apple, Sambunaval, Seeni jambu, Veli jambu, eugenia jambosa, gulab jamun, jamboes, jambos, jambosier, malabar plum, malabar plum tree, malabar-plum, manzana rosa, phanrid, pomarrosa, pomme rose, pu tao, pu tao ke, pu tao zhong zi, rose apple, rose apple|weli jambu/seeni jambu, rose-apple, rosenapfelbaum, rosenäpple, yambo.

Synonyms

Caryophyllus jambos Stokes. Eugenia jambos L. Jambosa jambos Millsp. Jambosa vulgaris DC.