Publication
from Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0
by C. Orwa, A. Mutua, R. Kindt, R. Jamnadass and S. Anthony
Syzygium cuminii (L.) Skeels
Local Names: Burmese
(thabyay-hypyoo); English (black plum tree, black plum, Portuguese
plum, jambolan-plum, Java plum, jambolan, Indian blackberry, malabar plum);
Filipino (lomboi, duhat); French (jamélongue); Gujarati
(jambura, jambu); Hindi (jam, jaman, jamun, phalani, phaunda, duhat);
Javanese (duwet, jamblang); Khmer (pring bai); Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (va);
Malay (obah, jiwat, jambolan, jambulana); Nepali (jamun); Sanskrit
(jambu); Sinhala (naval, jambu, madan, jambul); Swahili
(mzambarau, msambarau); Tamil (naval, nawar, nagai); Thai (wa, hakhiphae);
Trade name (jamun); Vietnamese (trâm môc, vôi rung)
Family: Myrtaceae
Botanic Description
Syzygium cuminii is a
medium-sized tree 10-30 m high, with a straight to crooked, short,
stout trunk, 40-100 cm in diameter, sometimes trees with circumference
of 62.5 cm have been reported. Crown is irregular or globular with many
branches. Bark up to 2.5 cm thick, brown or dark grey, fairly smooth;
inner bark with thin green outer layer, mottled light brown, astringent
and bitter to the taste. Twigs light green, becoming light grey,
slightly flattened and hairless.
Leaves are entire with narrow
transparent margin, 7-18 cm long, 3-9 cm broad, opposite, thick,
coriaceous, glabrous, broadly obovate, elliptic or elliptic-oblong,
upper surface dark green, lower surface yellowish and dull; base
cuneate or rounded; apex short, rounded or obtuse; edges not toothed;
stalk slender and light yellow, 1.5-2 cm long; midvein light yellow;
side veins fine, close together, parallel, with many tiny gland dots
visible under a lens, pinkish when young, turning red before shedding.
Flower
clusters on old twigs at the back of leaves, 5-6 cm long and wide, with
many paired stout forks at nearly right angles, end flower opening
first; flowers white or pink, many, small, about 7 mm long, slightly
fragrant, nearly stalkless, with cuplike, conical, light green base
(hypoanthium) 3 mm long and broad; calyx with 4 white, rounded, concave
petals, more than 2 mm long, united into a cap; stamens many, white or
pinkish, threadlike, 5 mm long; pistil with inferior ovary; ovules
numerous, tiny and stout; style white, 6-7 mm long.
Fruits
ovoid-oblong or elliptical berries, numerous, crowded in clusters,
almost stalkless along twigs at the back of leaves; often curved, green
at first, turning pink and then finally purple-black, 1-2.5 cm (max. 5)
long; pulp greyish-yellow, white or pale violet. The seed in each berry
is strongly astringent and slightly bitter, 1-2 cm long; sometimes 2-5
angular, irregularly shaped seeds are compressed together into a mass
resembling a single seed. Cotyledons are pale green.
Syzygium is derived from the Greek syzgios (paired), on account of the leaves and twigs that in several species grow at the same point.
Biology
S. cuminii
is never leafless in moist localities; the coppery new leaves start
even before the old leaves fall. However, in dry localities, it becomes
leafless for a short time in the hot season. In its natural habitat,
leaves usually start falling about January and continue doing so
through to March. The flower panicles appear from March to May, and
fruits ripen in June to August. S. cuminii is pollinated by honey bees,
house flies and wind. Fruit formation takes place about 32 days after
flowering. In areas experiencing a northeast monsoon on the east coast,
the fruits are said to ripen from the middle of August to the middle of
September. The fruits are devoured by birds, squirrels and humans and
are therefore widely dispersed.
Ecology
S. cuminii
is one of the most widely distributed trees of India, occurring in the
major forest groups except in the very arid regions. It is present in
both moist and dry situations, occurring in the tropical wet evergreen
forests, tropical semievergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous
forests, littoral and swamp, tropical dry deciduous, tropical dry
evergreen, subtropical broadleaved hills, and subtropical pine forests.
The tree favours moist, damp or marshy situations, where it tends to
form gregarious crops. It tolerates prolonged flooding, and once
established, it can tolerate drought. In dry sites, it generally
confines itself to the vicinity of watercourses. It can grow on
shallow, rocky soils provided the rainfall is sufficient. It is frost
hardy when mature and sensitive when young. Seedlings are readily
killed by fire, but saplings and trees survive ground fires. In the
Himalayan valleys, it ascends to about 1 200 m and in the Nigrils to 1
800 m.
Biophysical Limits
Altitude: 0-1 800 m, Mean annual temperature: -2 to 48 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 900-1 200 mm
Soil type: S. cuminii
occurs in a great variety of soils and geological formations: alluvial,
lateritic, sandy alluvia, marl and oolitic limestone. Such wide
tolerance suggests many varieties, some of which will tolerate saline
soil; it is commonly found on deep, rich, well-drained soils.
Documented Species Distribution
Native: India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Exotic:
Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Colombia,
Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe,
Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya,
Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua,
Panama, South Africa, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the
Grenadines, Sudan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, US, Vietnam,
Virgin Islands (US), Zambia, Zimbabwe
The
map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does
neither suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological
zone within that country, nor that the species can not be planted in
other countries than those depicted. Since some tree species are
invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to your
planting site.
Products
Food:
Ripe fruit is usually eaten fresh; it is juicy, almost odourless, with
a pleasant, slightly bitter, astringent taste. A common practice in the
Philippines as well as in India is to sprinkle the fruits with salt and
shake them. They may also be made into jams, jellies, juice and
puddings.
Fodder: Leaves may be used as fodder.
Apiculture: S. cuminii flowers are rich in nectar and yield high-quality honey.
Fuel: S. cuminii
wood has a specific gravity of 0.77 and burns well, giving off about 4
800 kcal/kg. It is a fast-growing tree, which provides excellent
firewood and charcoal.
Timber:
The reddish-grey or reddish-brown heartwood is fine grained and is
utilized in exterior joinery and carpentry. Wood is durable in water,
resistant to termites, and although difficult to work, it saws and
machines well and is used for construction, boat building, commercial
tea and chest plywood, agricultural implements, tool handles, cart
wheels, well curbs and troughs, sleepers, furniture and as props for
shafts and galleries in mines. It is also used for building bridges and
for making musical instruments, especially guitars.
Tannin or dyestuff: Bark of S. cuminii has served in tanning and yields a brown dye that has been used in colouring fishnets.
Alcohol: Fruits are used to make wine, which is produced in vast quantities in the Philippines.
Medicine:
The seeds and bark are well known in the Far East for the treatment of
dysentery and in control of hyperglycaemia and glycosuria in diabetic
patients. The astringent bark may be used as a gargle. Fruits are used
as a relief for colic, while the wood yields a sulphate pulp that has medicinal uses.
Services
Shade or shelter: The abundant foliage of S. cuminii trees
produces good shade, which has been used to shelter coffee trees,
chicken yards and livestock pastures. When closely planted in rows,
trees make good windbreaks.
Reclamation: S. cuminii is successfully planted in waterlogged areas.
Ornamental: S. cumini is one of the most popular avenue trees in India.
Boundary or barrier or support: Trees planted close together and topped regularly form a dense hedge.
Intercropping: S. cuminii is grown advantageously with banana, coffee and cocoa.
Tree Management
Trees should be spaced between 12 and 14 m if planted as ornamentals and 6 m apart if for a windbreak. S. cuminii
is a fast-growing tree, and seedlings may reach a height of 4 m in only
2 years. Trees may become serious pests in pastures. The tree coppices
remarkably well; vigorous shoots are produced in large numbers from
small and large stumps alike. Coppice stands along streams have been
reported that grew to 4.6 m in 4 years; more than 30 shoots were
produced on 1 stump, half of which were dominant. The plants are also
vigorous after pruning, and weeding has a marked effect on the growth
and vigour of seedlings. S. cuminii
tolerates shade, especially in the younger stages when dense masses of
young plants can be found coming up under moderate shade in forests. It
is susceptible to browsing damage. Chemical control of pests is
recommended to control caterpillars.
Germplasm Management
Seed
storage behaviour is recalcitrant; seeds germinate well when fresh, but
viability is lost within 2 weeks of open storage at room temperature.
On average there are 1 200-1 800 seeds/kg.
Pests and Diseases
S. cuminii is
susceptible to attack by several diseases: white spongy spot, leaf spot
and tar-pot-like lesions on leaves. Sooty moulds, leaf-eating
caterpillars, scale insects and whiteflies also attack trees.
Further Reading
Beentje HJ. 1994. Kenya trees, shrubs and lianas. National Museums of Kenya.
Coates-Palgrave K. 1988. Trees of southern Africa. C.S. Struik Publishers Cape Town.
El Amin HM. 1990. Trees and shrubs of the Sudan. Ithaca Press, Exeter.
FAO. 1982. Fruit-bearing forest trees: technical notes. FAO-Forestry-Paper. No. 34. 177 pp.
Hocking D. 1993. Trees for Drylands. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. New Delhi.
Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a compendium. Handbooks for Genebanks: No. 4. IPGRI.
ICRAF.
1992. A selection of useful trees and shrubs for Kenya: Notes on their
identification, propagation and management for use by farming and
pastoral communities. ICRAF.
Katende AB et al. 1995. Useful trees
and shrubs for Uganda. Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit
(RSCU), Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Kayastha BP. 1985. Silvics of the trees of Nepal. Community Forest Development Project, Kathmandu.
Lemmens
RHMJ, Soerianegara I, Wong WC (eds.). 1995. Plant Resources of
South-east Asia. No 5(2). Timber trees: minor commercial timbers.
Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Little EL. 1983. Common fuelwood crops. Communi-Tech Association, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Luna RK. 1996. Plantation trees. International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun, India.
Mbuya
LP et al. 1994. Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania: Identification,
Propagation and Management for Agricultural and Pastoral Communities.
Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International
Development Authority (SIDA).
National Academy of Sciences. 1980. Firewood crops. National Academy Press. Washington D.C.
Noad T, Birnie A. 1989. Trees of Kenya. General Printers, Nairobi.
Oliver-Beyer B. 1986. Medicinal plants in tropical West Africa. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.
Perry LM. 1980. Medicinal plants of East and South East Asia : attributed properties and uses. MIT Press. South East Asia.
Singh RV. 1982. Fodder trees of India. Oxford & IBH Co. New Delhi, India.
Verheij
EWM, Coronel RE (eds.). 1991. Plant Resources of South East Asia No 2.
Edible fruits and nuts. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Vimal OP, Tyagi PD. Fuelwood from wastelands. Yatan Publications, New Delhi, India.
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