Magenta Lilly Pilly, Brush cherry
Syzygium paniculatum

Family: Myrtaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 6-20 m tall and with a spread of 4-8 m across. The stem is erect and the branches are spreading. It has a dense crown of leaves. The young leaves are bronze coloured. The leaves are shiny and dark green on the upper surface but paler underneath. They are oval or curved but taper towards the ends and are 5-9 cm long by 3 cm wide. The flowers are white and 1-1.5 cm across. They occur in clusters in the angles where leaves join and at the ends of branches. The fruit is round or oval and dark red. The fruit can also be pink or purple. It is 2.5 cm across. There is a fleshy crown at the end of the fruit. The fruit is edible. The seed contains 2-8 embryos. If the seed is squeezed it will break into several uneven segments.

Where it is found

It is better suited to warm temperate places than the subtropics or tropics. It occurs naturally in New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. It is a rainforest species. It suits humid locations. It does best on medium to heavy soils. It requires moist soils in a shady position. But plants can grow with full sun. It can withstand drought. It is damaged by frost. It needs a minimum temperature above 7°C. It can stand slight frosts. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In Hobart Botanical gardens. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Wittunga Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Australia (country/location of origin), Brazil, Colombia, East Africa, Eswatini, Hawaii, Mozambique, Pacific, Slovenia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, South America, Tasmania, USA

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw. They can be made into jams or jellies.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

It can be grown from fresh seed. It can also be grown from cuttings. Because the seed contains several embryos several seedlings can grow from one seed. (Plants suffer badly from pimple gall and scale insects resulting in sooty mould. )

The flowers occur from December to March and the fruit are ripe from March to May.

Its other names

Local names

Australian Brush cherry, Creek Lilly-Pilly, Jambinho-roxo, Jambinho, Jambo-da-australia, Rose apple, Scrub cherry

Synonyms

Eugenia paniculata (Gaertn.) Britten [Illegitimate]; Eugenia rheedioides Standl. & Steyerm.; Eugenia australis; Eugenia myrtifolia;