From the book
Fruits of Warm Climates
by Julia F. Morton
Malay Apple
Syzygium
malaccense
Merr. & Perry
Jambos
malaccensis DC.
MYRTACEAE
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.
Fig. 102: Glossy, red, juicy, Malay apples
(Syzygium malaccense)
are sold in markets and
along streets in warm areas of the Old and New
World.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yield
The yield varies from 48 to 188 lbs (21-85 kg) per tree.
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.
| Food
Value Per
100 g of Edible Portion* |
| Moisture
|
90.3-91.6 g |
| Protein |
0.5-0.7 g |
| Fat
|
0.1-0.2 g |
| Fiber |
0.6-0.8 g |
| Ash |
0.26-0.39 g |
| Calcium |
5.6-5.9 mg |
| Phosphorus |
11.6-17.9
mg |
| Iron |
0.2-0.82 mg |
| Carotene |
0.003-0.008 mg |
| (Vitamin A) |
3-10
I.U. |
| Thiamine |
15-39
mcg |
| Riboflavin |
20-39
mcg |
| Niacin |
0.21-0.40
mg |
| Ascorbic Acid |
6.5-17.0
mg |
| *According
to analyses made in Hawai'i, Rl Salvado and Ghana. |
|
Other Uses
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 Hawai'i.
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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