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Rose Apple Syzygium jambos A crisp, yellow, 1-2" long fruit with the smell and taste of
rose water. The rose apple is occasionally cultivated in the
tropics but is rarely available in markets. |
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Uses |
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Usually eaten fresh or used in preserves. Rose apples spoil very quickly so fruits should be used soon after picking. The large, hollow seed cavity is sometimes utilized to stuff the fruits and bake them. Fruit extract can be used to make a sweet smelling rose water. |
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Plant Cultivation |
| shrub to medium-large tree that can reach over 40ft in ideal conditions.
The rose apple is moderately hardy and will withstand temperatures to
25F if fully grown. The tree will usually not flower or bear fruit in
areas of frost. Flowers are very ornate, large, 2-4", with hundreds of
beautiful white stamens that attract nectar loving insects. Flowering
and fruiting usually follow cycles but these cycles vary throughout the
tropics. Often, the rose apple will flower midsummer, with fruits ripening
from 3-4 months later. Propagation: Almost always by seeds, which loose viability quickly. Seeds are polyembryonic and can produce multiple seedlings which can be carefully separated when young. |
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Origin and Distribution |
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Native to southeast Asia. Has spread through India and South Pacific islands and is now cultivated in some parts of the tropics. Grows from sea level to 3000ft elevation in its native range. |
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