IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service
The rose apple Syzygium jambos is an East Indian native
which forms a handsome evergreen tree forty feet or more with glossy, leathery,
shiny leaves about six to eight inches in length and about two inches in
width. New leaves, as they appear, are dark wine colored and gradually turn
dark green as they mature.
The beautiful yellowish-white one and a half inch flowers are produced
from late winter through the spring and often will have fruit maturing while
the tree is still producing additional flowers. The flowers are generally
produced in short terminal racemes on new growth.
The round or oval fruits are up to two inches in diameter and are
pale yellow with sometimes a faint, pink blush. Fruits have a thin layer
of pale yellowish flesh and a hollow central cavity containing one to three
large brown seeds. The flesh is very distinctly rose scented and is generally
crisp and juicy. Many people eat rose apples as an out of hand fruit, but
it is more often used to make jellies and jams. They can also be stewed
or preserved. The jellies and preserves made from rose apple retain the
distinctive rose flavor.
Rose apples are easily propagated by seeds, but seedlings take three
to four years to start flower and fruit production. Some trees are air layered
which will give earlier fruiting. Select stains may also be propagated by
budding. Trees grow slowly, but are adaptive for a wide range of soil types
and generally once well established require little in the way of maintenance.
During the fruiting season, fruits are often attacked by the Caribbean fruit
fly, but some years there is not an many fruit fly infested fruit as others.
Trees also can be grown as container plants and they will fruit
in containers. Most people though prefer growing rose apple as an outdoor
shade tree and because of its thick canopy provides welcome relief from
the heat during the hot spring and summer months.
© 2000 BGCII Page posted March 2004
