Editing Syzygium jambos (section)

== Description ==

[[File:Syzygium jambos-young leaves.jpg|thumb|left|240px|New foliage flushes rosy pink before maturing to glossy dark green. Photo by Tonton Bernardo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.]]

The common name "rose apple" is used for several ''Syzygium'' species. ''S. jambos'' can be recognized by the following combination of features:<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup>

* Lanceolate leaves 10 to 22 cm long, opposite, new flush rosy pink
* Big creamy-white flower puffs 5 to 10 cm across, made almost entirely of about 300 stamens
* Nearly round to slightly pear-shaped fruit, 4 to 5 cm, pale yellow to whitish skin, often pink-blushed, loose seeds rattling in a hollow center

* Rosewater scent when you rub or bite a ripe fruit

The species is usually a low-branching evergreen tree or large shrub, commonly 3 to 15 m tall. The bark is dark brown and fairly smooth, and the young twigs and mature leaves are glabrous. New leaves emerge reddish or rosy pink before turning glossy dark green. The leaves are lanceolate, generally 10 to 20 cm long, with a pointed tip and a short, inconspicuous petiole.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup>

Flowers are produced in small terminal clusters on new growth. They are white to greenish white, and the numerous long stamens give each flower its conspicuous, powder-puff appearance. The flowers may be fragrant, but the strength of the scent varies. The ripe fruit is more consistently aromatic, with a strong floral or rosewater bouquet that accounts for the common name.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup>

The fruit is thin-skinned, waxy, and usually 4 to 5 cm across. Its crisp, watery flesh surrounds a slightly fluffy hollow rather than the firm seed mass found in guava. One or two large, smooth seeds commonly lie loose in the cavity, although fruit may contain more. Shaking a ripe fruit can produce the characteristic rattle of the loose seeds. Fruit color ranges from pale yellow or greenish white to pink-blushed, and the skin bruises readily after harvest.<sup>[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup>

Most often confused with:

* '''Wax apple''' (''S. samarangense''): larger, glossy red or pink bell-shaped fruit, no rose scent
* '''Malay apple''' (''S. malaccense''): much bigger, deep red fruit
* '''Java plum''' (''S. cumini''): dark purple, astringent
* '''Watery rose apple''' (''S. aqueum''): pear-shaped, without the rose aroma

The rosewater scent of the ripe fruit is a useful field characteristic, but it should be considered alongside the leaf, flower, and fruit characters above.


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