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Tropical Plant "Malay apple"
Syzygium Malaccense
A delight to the eye in every respect, the Malay apple is
much admired for the beauty of the tree, its flowers and its
colorful, glistening fruits, without parallel in the family
Myrtaceae. Botanically identified as Syzygium malaccense
Merr. & Perry (syns. Eugenia malaccensis L.,
Jambos malaccensis DC.), this species has earned a
few alternate English names including Malay rose-apple, mountain
apple, water apple, and, unfortunately, Otaheite apple, which
is better limited to the ambarella, Spondias dulcis Park.,
and cashew, or French cashew (Guyana) or Otaheite cashew (India)
because of its resemblance to the cashew apple, the pseudofruit
or swollen fruit-stalk of the cashew nut.
In
Malaya there are many local names including jambu merah,
jambu bar, jambu bol, jambu melaka, jambu kling and jambu
kapal.
In
Thailand, it is chom-phu-sa-raek or chom-phu-daeng;
in Cambodia, chompuh kraham; in Vietnam, man
hurong tau; in Indonesia, darsana, jambu tersana, or
djamboo bol; in the Philippines, makopang-kalabau
or tersana; in Guam, makupa; in Tahiti,
ahia; in Hawaii, ohia. In the French language
it is jambosier rouge, poire de Malaque, pomme Malac (corrupted
to pomerac), pomme de Malaisie, and pomme de Tahiti.
Among
Spanish names are: pomarosa, or pomarrosa, Malaya
(Puerto Rico); manzana (Costa Rica), marañon
japonés (EI Salvador), pomarosa de Malaca (Colombia);
pera de agua or pomagás (Venezuela); and marañon
de Curacao (Panama), though the somewhat similar plant
in Curacao is S. samarangense Merr. & Perry,
locally called cashu di Surinam, in Papiamento, Curacaose
appel, in Dutch. The latter species has yellowish-white
flowers and light-red, greenish-white or cream-colored fruits.
(See Java apple pp. 381-2.)
Malay Apple Description
The
Malay apple tree is rather fast-growing, reaching 40 to 60
ft (12-18 m) in height, and has an erect trunk to 15 ft (4.5
m) in circumference and a pyramidal or cylindrical crown.
Its evergreen leaves are opposite, short-petioled, elliptic-lanceolate
or oblanceolate; soft-leathery, dark-green and fairly glossy
on the upper surface, paler beneath; 6 to 18 in (15-45 cm)
long, 3 1/2 to 8 in (9-20 cm) wide. The veins are indistinct
above, but they and the pale midrib are prominent on the underside.
New growth is wine-red at first, changing to pink-buff.
The abundant flowers, only mildly fragrant, and borne on the
upper trunk and along leafless portions of mature branches
in short-stalked clusters of 2 to 8, are 2 to 3 in (5-7.5
cm) wide, and composed of a funnel-like base topped by 5 thick,
green sepals, 4 usually pinkish-purple to dark-red (sometimes
white, yellow or orange) petals, and numerous concolorous
stamens to 1 1/2 in (4 cm) long tipped with yellow anthers.
Though showy, the flowers are hidden by the foliage until
they fall and form a lovely carpet on the ground.
The
fruit, oblong, obovoid, or bell-shaped, 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm.)
long, 1 to 3 in (2.5-7.5 cm) wide at the apex, has thin, smooth,
waxy skin, rose-red or crimson or sometimes white with streaks
of red or pink, and white, crisp or spongy, juicy flesh of
very mild, sweetish flavor. There may be a single oblate or
nearly round seed or 2 hemispherical seeds, 5/8 to 3/4 in
(1.6-2 cm) in width, light-brown externally, green internally
and somewhat meaty in texture. The fruits of some trees are
entirely seedless.
Malay Apple Origin
and Distribution
The
Malay apple is presumed to be a native of Malaysia. It is
commonly cultivated from Java to the Philippines and Vietnam,
also in Bengal and South India. Portuguese voyagers carried
it from Malacca to Goa and from there it was introduced into
East Africa. It must have spread throughout the Pacific Islands
in very early times for it is featured in Fijian mythology
and the wood was used by ancient Hawaiians to make idols.
Indeed, it has been recorded that, before the arrival of missionaries
in Hawaii, there were no fruits except bananas, coconuts and
the Malay apple. The flowers are considered sacred to Pele,
the fiery volcano goddess. Captain Bligh conveyed small trees
of 3 varieties from the islands of Timor and Tahiti to Jamaica
in 1793. The tree was growing under glass in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
in 1839, and specimens were fruiting in Bermuda in 1878.
Eggers,
who studied the flora of St. Croix, reported seeing naturalized
trees in shaded valleys during his stay on the island from
1870 to 1876. The Malay apple was unknown in Puerto Rico in
1903 but must have arrived soon after. Britton and Wilson
observed 2 trees 43 ft (13 m) high at Happy Hollow in 1924.
Thereafter,
the tree was rather frequently planted as an ornamental or
wind-break. Perhaps the Portuguese were responsible for its
introduction into Brazil, for it is cultivated there, as it
is also in Surinam and Panama. Dr. David Fairchild sent seeds
from Panama to the United States Department of Agriculture
in 1921.
In
1929, young trees from the Canal Zone were transported to
the Lancetilla Experimental Gardens at Tela, Honduras, where
they flourished and fruited. The Malay apple is sometimes
seen in other parts of Central America, including Belize,
El Salvador and Costa Rica, much more frequently in parks
and gardens in Venezuela. The fruits are sold in local markets
and along the streets wherever the tree is grown.
Malay Apple Varieties
Ochse
mentions an oblong to pear-shaped, white form called djamboo
pootih, djamboo bodas, or djamboo kemang, which,
in Java, is less flavorful than the red type. He says that
there are many forms because of seedling variation. A large,
especially sweet and juicy clone was introduced into the Philippines
from Hawaii in 1922.
Malay Apple Climate
The
Malay apple is strictly tropical, too tender for Florida and
California except under very unusual conditions. It is naturalized
and cultivated from sea-level to 9,000 ft (2,740 m) in valleys
and on mountain slopes of the lowest forest zone of the Hawaiian
Islands, and is grown up to 2,000 ft (610 m) in Ceylon and
Puerto Rico. The tree needs a humid climate, with an annual
rainfall of 60 in (152 cm) or more.
Malay Apple Soil
The
tree grows vigorously on a range of soil types from sand to
heavy clay. It tolerates moderately acid soil, reacts unfavorably
to highly alkaline situations. In India, it grows best on
the banks of ponds, lakes and streams where there is good
drainage and no standing water. It is reported to be one of
the first trees to spring up in new lava flows in Hawaii.
Malay Apple Propagation
Malay
apple seeds germinate readily. Many sprout on the ground under
the tree. While seed propagation is common, superior types
are multiplied by budding onto their own seedlings. Air-layering
has been successful and cuttings have been rooted in sand
in Hawaii. Seeds are planted no more than 1 1/2 in (4 cm)
deep in nurseries or directly in the field. They will germinate
in 2 to 4 weeks and, if in nurseries, the seedlings are transplanted
to the field when 8 months old. Cuttings are ready for transplanting
in 6 weeks after rooting.
Malay Apple Culture
In
India, Malay apple trees are spaced 26 to 32 feet (8-10 m)
apart in fields prepared and enriched as for any other crop,
and thereafter they require little care except for elimination
of weeds and periodic fertilization and plentiful irrigation
in very dry weather.
Malay Apple Pests
and Diseases
Young
Malay apple trees are frequently attacked by termites in India.
It is reported that sap-feeders, defoliators, miners and borers
have been found on the foliage and on dead stems.
Malay Apple Season
In
Java, the tree flowers in May and June and the fruits ripen
in August and September. The fruiting season is about the
same around Castleton Gardens in Jamaica but at the lower
level of Kingston it is earlier and ends during the first
week of June.
In India, the main crop occurs from May to July and there
is often a second crop in November and December. In Puerto
Rico, the tree may flower 2 or 3 times a year, in spring,
summer and fall, the blooming season covering 40 to 60 days.
The spring and fall flowering seasons produce the biggest
crops. Fruits mature in 60 days from the full opening of the
flowers and they fall quickly after they become fully ripe
and deteriorate rapidly. For marketing, they must be hand-picked
to avoid damage and to have longer shelf-life.
Malay Apple Yield
The
yield varies from 48 to 188 lbs (21-85 kg) per tree.
Malay Apple Food
Uses
The
ripe fruit is eaten raw though many people consider it insipid.
It is best stewed with cloves or other flavoring and served
with cream as dessert. Asiatic people in Guyana stew the peeled
fruit, cooking the skin separately to make a sirup which they
add to the cooked fruit. Malayan people may add the petals
of the red-flowered hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.)
to make the product more colorful. Malay apples are often
cooked with acid fruits to the benefit of both. They are sometimes
made into sauce or preserves. The slightly unripe fruits are
used for making jelly and pickles..
In
Puerto Rico, both red and white table wines are made from
the Malay apple. The fruits are picked as soon as they are
fully colored (not allowed to fall) and immediately dipped
in boiling water for one minute to destroy surface bacteria
and fungi. The seeds are removed and, for red wine, the fruits
are passed through a meat grinder and the resulting juice
and pulp weighed.
To this material, they add twice the amount of water and 1
1/2 lbs (680 g) of white sugar per gallon, and pour into sterilized
barrels with the mouth covered soon with cheesecloth. Yeast
is added and a coil inserted to maintain circulation of the
water.
The
barrels are kept in the coolest place possible for 6 months
to 1 year, then the wine is filtered. It will be of a pale-rose
color so artificial color is added to give it a rich-red hue.
In making white wine, the fruits are peeled, the only liquid
is the fruit juice, and less sugar is used, only 1 1/4 lbs
(565 g) per gallon, so as to limit alcohol formation over
a fermenting period of 3 to 6 months.
In
Indonesia, the flowers are eaten in salads or are preserved
in sirup. Young leaves and shoots, before turning green, are
consumed raw with rice or are cooked and eaten as greens.
Malay Apple Other
Uses
Malay Apple Wood:
The timber is reddish, soft to hard, tough and heavy,
but inclined to warp. It is difficult to work, but is employed
for construction, railway ties, and for fashioning bowls and
poi-boards in Hawaii.
Malay Apple Medicinal
Uses: According to Akana's translation of Hawaiian
Herbs of Medicinal Value, the astringent bark has been
much used in local remedies. It is pounded together with salt,
the crushed material is strained through coconut husk fiber,
and the juice poured into a deep cut. "The patient must exercise
absolute self-control as the liquid bums its way into the
flesh and nerves."
In
the Molucca, or Spice, Islands, a decoction of the bark is
used to treat thrush. Malayans apply a powder of the dried
leaves on a cracked tongue. A preparation of the root is a
remedy for itching. The root acts as a diuretic and is given
to alleviate edema. The root bark is useful against dysentery,
also serves as an emmenagogue and abortifacient. Cambodians
take a decoction of the fruit, leaves or seeds as a febrifuge.
The juice of crushed leaves is applied as a skin lotion and
is added to baths. In Brazil, various parts of the plant are
used as remedies for constipation, diabetes, coughs, pulmonary
catarrh, headache and other ailments. Seeded fruits, seeds,
bark and leaves have shown antibiotic activity and have some
effect on blood pressure and respiration.
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