Difference between revisions of "Syzygium jambos"

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{{Taxobox | name = ''Syzygium jambos''
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{{SPlantbox
| image = Syzygium jambos.JPG
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|familia=Myrtaceae
| image_width = 240px
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|genus=Syzygium
| regnum = [[Plantae]]
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|species=jambos
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
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|common_name=Rose Apple, Plum rose, Malabar plum
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| ordo = [[Myrtales]]
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|habit=tree
| familia = [[Myrtaceae]]
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|habit_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| genus = ''[[Syzygium]]''
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|Max ht box=20
| species = '''''S. jambos'''''
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|Max ht metric=ft
| binomial = ''Syzygium jambos''
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|height_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] Alston
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|Max wd box=15
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|Max wd metric=ft
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|width_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|origin=E Indies, Malaya
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|lifespan=perennial
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|life_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|exposure=sun
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|sun_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|water=moderate
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|water_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
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|features=edible, fruit
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|flowers=red, orange, yellow, pink
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|Temp Metric=°F
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|min_zone=10
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|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|max_zone=12
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|sunset_zones=18-25, 27
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|image=Syzygium jambos.JPG
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|image_width=200
 
}}
 
}}
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'''Adaptation''': Rose apples flourish in tropical or near-tropical climates, but the tree is proving to be hardy enough (to about 25° F) to be grown as an ornamental as far north in California as San Francisco. A beautiful specimen is thriving in the rather cold, windy rare fruit section of Quail Gardens in Encinitas. The rose apple is too large to make a suitable container plant
  
The fruit tree '''''Syzygium jambos''''' (syn. ''Eugenia jambos'', ''Jambosa jambos'') has several common names, including '''chom pu''' or '''chom-phu''', '''rose apple''', '''Malay apple''', '''Malabar plum''', '''jambu''', '''champakka''' and '''pomarrosa'''. The edible fruit is shaped like a small pear. The plant is native to [[Southeast Asia]] but is naturalized in [[India]], especially the state of [[Kerala]]. It has also been introduced across the Americas where it now grows in wild thickets. Specimens have been planted on nearly every continent.
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'''Growth Habit''': The rose apple is a highly decorative evergreen large shrub or small tree growing to about 20 feet with low spreading branches and pale-brown bark. It is wide spreading and often will be wider than its height.
  
The tree has long, glossy green leaves and white or greenish flowers. There are several varieties, including the one most common in Thailand bearing a pale green fruit, and Malaysian varieties with red skin. It is often some shade of dull yellow. The skin is thin and waxy, and the hollow core contains a small amount of inedible fluff. The flesh is a bit softer than that of an [[apple]]. It tastes like a cross between apple and [[watermelon]], with a very mild rose scent and a slightly bitter [[aftertaste]].
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'''Foliage''': The lanceolate leaves are 4 to 9 inches in length by 2 inches wide, shiny and pink when they first emerge, fading to pale green. When mature they are slightly leathery and dark green. They are narrow and elliptic in shape and gradually taper to a point. The foliage is produced in a dense, luxuriant mass that hides all branches from view.
  
In ancient [[Sanskrit]], the land now called [[India]] was referred to by the ancient Indians themselves as ''[[Jambudvipa]]'', which means ''Roseappleland'' (''jambu'' = rose apple; ''dvipa'' = land).
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'''Flowers''': Rose apple flowers are large and showy, white to pale cream and sweetly scented. They are 2 - 4 inches wide and consist mostly of about 300 conspicuous stamens to 1-1/3 inches long. There are usually 4 or 5 flowers together in terminal clusters. The flowers are a rich source of nectar for honeybees.
  
This plant can be quite invasive in areas where it has been introduced. It is a threat to several ecosystems, including those on several [[Hawaii|Hawaiian islands]], [[Réunion]], and the [[Galápagos Islands]], and in parts of [[Australia]] and [[Central America]].
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'''Fruit''': The fruits are 1 - 2 inches wide, almost round or a little longer than wide. When ripe they may be greenish or dull-yellow flushed with pink. The skin is smooth and thin, and the firm flesh yellowish, sweet and rose scente. The texture is crisp, almost crunchy when the fruit is ripe and freshly picked. They contains one to four medium hard, round seeds, which rattle around inside the fruit. The seed as well as the roots are regarded as poisonous. Seedless, thick-fleshed fruits have been experimentally produced by treating opened flowers with growth regulators such as naphthoxy acetic acid.  
  
== Images ==
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{{Inc|
<gallery>
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Eugenia Jambos, Linn. (Jambosa vulgaris, DC. Jambosa Jambos, Millsp.). Rose-apple. Jamrosade. Jambos. Fig. 1433. Tree, 20-;30 ft., glabrous: Lvs. lanceolate, very acuminate, 5-8 in. long, 1-2 in. broad, thick and shining: fls. greenish white: fr. pyriform, 1½-2 in. thick, white or yellowish, tinged with rose-color, edible but rather insipid, fragrant. E. Indies.—Hardy in Calif. as far north as San Francisco. Grown for its rich foliage and showy fls. Frs. much used in the tropics for jelly-making and in confectionery.
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}}
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==Cultivation==
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'''Location''': The rose apple needs a warm, sunny location that is not subject to significant frosts. It should also be kept in mind that the tree will occupy considerable space. The tree is moderately resistant to winds and tolerates cool, coastal conditions.
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'''Soils''': A deep, loamy, well-drained soil is best for the rose apple, but it also flourishes on sand and limestone with very little organic matter. In India it grows along streams. It is a favorite dooryard tree in the Peruvian part of the Amazon, where the trees are planted high enough to avoid the frequent floods.
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'''Irrigation''': The tree will tolerate semi-arid conditions, but prolonged dry spell are detrimental. It should have frequent irrigation when the weather is warm, and kept on the dry side when it's cold.
 +
 
 +
'''Fertilization''': The rose apple's needs are unknown. If planted in a deep loamy soil it will thrive with very little other requirements. In less fertile soils a light semi-annual feeding of a balanced fertilizer, such as 6-6-6 NPK may be in order.
 +
 
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'''Pruning''': Pruning of rose apples is not usually necessary. In some countries it is pruned drastically to promote dense growth and used as hedgerows around coffee plantations.
 +
 
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'''Frost Protection''': The rose apple will take several degrees of frost but does best when planted in a protected spot on the south side of a wall or building. Young plants can be given overhead protection and covered when significant frosts are expected.
 +
 
 +
'''Harvest''': Rose apples bruise quite easily and are highly perishable. They must be freshly picked to be crisp. The fruit is only moderately interesting eaten out-of-hand, and is more often used in jellies and jams or preserved in combination with other fruits of more pronounced flavor. It is also cooked with sugar to make a dessert. When cooked with custards or puddings, they impart a rose flavor. The flowers can also be candied. 
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===Propagation===
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Most rose apple trees are grown from seed. The seeds are polyembryonic and produce one to three sprouts, but seedlings are not uniform and there is considerable variation in fruit quality. The poorer fruits are dry and tasteless. Various vegetative propagation methods have been satisfactory. Treated semi-hardwood cuttings were moderately successful, while air-layering and veneer grafting of spring-flush scions have been successful to a greater degree. Fruiting takes about four years.
 +
 
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===Pests and diseases===
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The rose apple has very few serious diseases and insect problems, although in humid climates the leaves are subject to a sooty mold from [[aphid]] excretions. [[Root rot]] caused by Fusarium spp., and mushroom root rot (Armillariella tabescens) can attack the tree.
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==Cultivars==
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Insufficient tests have been made with strains from the West Indies, Mexico, and Guiana to tell if there are any significant differences. There are no known varieties.
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==Gallery==
 +
<gallery perrow=5>
 
Image:Syzygium jambos.JPG|Twig with Leaves and Flowers
 
Image:Syzygium jambos.JPG|Twig with Leaves and Flowers
 
Image:Syzygium jambos fruits.jpg|Fruits
 
Image:Syzygium jambos fruits.jpg|Fruits
 
Image:Bluete Rosenapfel.jpg|Flower
 
Image:Bluete Rosenapfel.jpg|Flower
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File:Jambosjambos.jpg
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File:RoseApple03 NeoRust Asit.jpg
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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==References==
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*[http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/roseapple.html CRFG Rose Apple fruit facts]
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
*[http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/rose_apple.html The Rose Apple]
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*{{wplink}}
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SYJA USDA profile]
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*[http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/syzygium_jambos.htm Invasive species]
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{{stub}}
 +
__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 16:46, 23 June 2010


Syzygium jambos.JPG


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Height: 20 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 20.
Width: 15 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Lifespan: perennial
Origin: E Indies, Malaya
Cultivation
Exposure: sun
Water: moderate
Features: edible, fruit
USDA Zones: 10 to 12
Sunset Zones: 18-25, 27
Flower features: red, orange, yellow, pink
Scientific Names

Myrtaceae >

Syzygium >

jambos >


Adaptation: Rose apples flourish in tropical or near-tropical climates, but the tree is proving to be hardy enough (to about 25° F) to be grown as an ornamental as far north in California as San Francisco. A beautiful specimen is thriving in the rather cold, windy rare fruit section of Quail Gardens in Encinitas. The rose apple is too large to make a suitable container plant

Growth Habit: The rose apple is a highly decorative evergreen large shrub or small tree growing to about 20 feet with low spreading branches and pale-brown bark. It is wide spreading and often will be wider than its height.

Foliage: The lanceolate leaves are 4 to 9 inches in length by 2 inches wide, shiny and pink when they first emerge, fading to pale green. When mature they are slightly leathery and dark green. They are narrow and elliptic in shape and gradually taper to a point. The foliage is produced in a dense, luxuriant mass that hides all branches from view.

Flowers: Rose apple flowers are large and showy, white to pale cream and sweetly scented. They are 2 - 4 inches wide and consist mostly of about 300 conspicuous stamens to 1-1/3 inches long. There are usually 4 or 5 flowers together in terminal clusters. The flowers are a rich source of nectar for honeybees.

Fruit: The fruits are 1 - 2 inches wide, almost round or a little longer than wide. When ripe they may be greenish or dull-yellow flushed with pink. The skin is smooth and thin, and the firm flesh yellowish, sweet and rose scente. The texture is crisp, almost crunchy when the fruit is ripe and freshly picked. They contains one to four medium hard, round seeds, which rattle around inside the fruit. The seed as well as the roots are regarded as poisonous. Seedless, thick-fleshed fruits have been experimentally produced by treating opened flowers with growth regulators such as naphthoxy acetic acid.


Read about Syzygium jambos in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Eugenia Jambos, Linn. (Jambosa vulgaris, DC. Jambosa Jambos, Millsp.). Rose-apple. Jamrosade. Jambos. Fig. 1433. Tree, 20-;30 ft., glabrous: Lvs. lanceolate, very acuminate, 5-8 in. long, 1-2 in. broad, thick and shining: fls. greenish white: fr. pyriform, 1½-2 in. thick, white or yellowish, tinged with rose-color, edible but rather insipid, fragrant. E. Indies.—Hardy in Calif. as far north as San Francisco. Grown for its rich foliage and showy fls. Frs. much used in the tropics for jelly-making and in confectionery.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Location: The rose apple needs a warm, sunny location that is not subject to significant frosts. It should also be kept in mind that the tree will occupy considerable space. The tree is moderately resistant to winds and tolerates cool, coastal conditions.

Soils: A deep, loamy, well-drained soil is best for the rose apple, but it also flourishes on sand and limestone with very little organic matter. In India it grows along streams. It is a favorite dooryard tree in the Peruvian part of the Amazon, where the trees are planted high enough to avoid the frequent floods.

Irrigation: The tree will tolerate semi-arid conditions, but prolonged dry spell are detrimental. It should have frequent irrigation when the weather is warm, and kept on the dry side when it's cold.

Fertilization: The rose apple's needs are unknown. If planted in a deep loamy soil it will thrive with very little other requirements. In less fertile soils a light semi-annual feeding of a balanced fertilizer, such as 6-6-6 NPK may be in order.

Pruning: Pruning of rose apples is not usually necessary. In some countries it is pruned drastically to promote dense growth and used as hedgerows around coffee plantations.

Frost Protection: The rose apple will take several degrees of frost but does best when planted in a protected spot on the south side of a wall or building. Young plants can be given overhead protection and covered when significant frosts are expected.

Harvest: Rose apples bruise quite easily and are highly perishable. They must be freshly picked to be crisp. The fruit is only moderately interesting eaten out-of-hand, and is more often used in jellies and jams or preserved in combination with other fruits of more pronounced flavor. It is also cooked with sugar to make a dessert. When cooked with custards or puddings, they impart a rose flavor. The flowers can also be candied.

Propagation

Most rose apple trees are grown from seed. The seeds are polyembryonic and produce one to three sprouts, but seedlings are not uniform and there is considerable variation in fruit quality. The poorer fruits are dry and tasteless. Various vegetative propagation methods have been satisfactory. Treated semi-hardwood cuttings were moderately successful, while air-layering and veneer grafting of spring-flush scions have been successful to a greater degree. Fruiting takes about four years.

Pests and diseases

The rose apple has very few serious diseases and insect problems, although in humid climates the leaves are subject to a sooty mold from aphid excretions. Root rot caused by Fusarium spp., and mushroom root rot (Armillariella tabescens) can attack the tree.

Cultivars

Insufficient tests have been made with strains from the West Indies, Mexico, and Guiana to tell if there are any significant differences. There are no known varieties.

Gallery

References

External links