Rose apple

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Name Variations

 * wax apple
 * Otaheiti Apple

About rose apple

 * Syzygium samarangense from Wikipedia

Rose apples in no way resemble roses or apples. In fact, it is considered a minor fruit. The rose apple tree is used more for its fuel than for its fruit.

Syzygium samarangense (syn. Eugenia javanica) is a species in the Myrtaceae, native to Philippines, India, Indonesia and Malaysia. Common names include wax apple, love apple, java apple, chomphu (in Thai), Mận (in Vietnam), bellfruit (In Taiwan), Jamaican Apple (in Jamaica),jambu air (in Indonesian), water apple, mountain apple, jambu air ("water guava" in Malay), wax jambu, rose apple, bell fruit, makopa, tambis (Philippines), and chambekka in Malayalam, jamrul (in Bengali), and jumbu (Sri Lanka). It is known as jamalac in French, and zamalac in the French-based creole languages of Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles and other Indian ocean islands.The wax apple tree also grows in the Caribbean. On Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, the fruit is called kashu Sürnam in Papiamentu, which means ‘cashew from Surinam’, while in Surinam the fruit is called curaçaose appel (‘apple from Curaçao’ in Dutch), in Trinidad and Tobago it is known as pommerac, while in the Dominican Republic a small sub-species of the wax apple is known as cajuilito, or small cashew.

Syzygium samarangense (syn. Eugenia javanica) is a species in the Myrtaceae, native to Indonesia and Malaysia. Common names include wax apple, love apple, java apple, Bellfruit (In Taiwan), jambu air (in Indonesian), water apple, mountain apple, jambu air ("water guava" in Malay), wax jambu, Rose apple, bell fruit, macopa and tambis (Philippines).

It is a tropical tree growing to 12 m tall, with evergreen leaves 10–25 cm long and 5–10 cm broad. The flowers are white, 2.5 cm diameter, with four petals and numerous stamens. The fruit is a bell-shaped edible berry, with colors ranging from white, pale green, green, red, purple, crimson, to deep purple or even black, 4–6 cm long in wild plants. The flowers and resulting fruit are not limited to the axils of the leaves and can appear on nearly any point on the surface of the trunk and branches. When mature, the tree is considered a heavy bearer and can yield a crop of up to 700 fruits. (1987) "Fruits of warm climates". Java Apple: 381–382. Miami, FL.

Cultivation and uses
"Black Pearl" or "Black Diamond,".

When choosing a good wax apple, look for ones with the bottom segments closed up because open holes signify worm eggs inside the fruit. Also, usually the reddest fruits are the sweetest. To eat, the core is removed and the fruit is served uncut, in order to preserve the unique bell shape presentation.

The wax apple tree also grows in the Caribbean. On Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, the fruit is called kashu Sürnam in Papiamentu, which means kashu or cashew from Surinam, while in Surinam the fruit is called Curaçaose appel (apple from Curaçao in Dutch), in Trinidad & Tobago it is known as Pomerac.

In the Pacific Islands, this fruit is known as Mountain Apple. In the Fiji Islands it is common in the outskirts of forests. Called "Kavika" in Fiji, it is well-documented as a medicinal plant (particularly the bark of the Kavika tree).

In Saint Kitts and Nevis it is commonly known as "morroca," a corruption of Morroco, from where the plant was imported to St. Kitts in colonial days.

In Taiwan and China, it is known by a phonetic approximation "lian wu" (simplified Chinese: 莲雾; traditional Chinese: 蓮霧; pinyin: lián wù; POJ: lián-bū or lembu).