Water apple (Syzygium aqueum)

Water apple (Syzygium aqueum) is a plant species in the Myrtaceae family. It is a small tree, reaching a height of 3–10 meters, with a trunk that is often curved and branches from the base; the trunk can sometimes reach a diameter of up to 50 cm. It grows in tropical regions.

S. aqueum has simple, oppositely arranged leaves with petioles 0.5–1.5 cm long. The leaf shape varies, ranging from heart-shaped to obovate (inversely egg-shaped), with a single prominent midrib running down the center. The leaves are green, 7–25 cm long and 2.5–16 cm wide, and do not emit a distinct aroma when crushed.



The flowers are arranged in panicles at the ends of branches or emerge from the leaf axils. Each panicle consists of 3–7 yellowish-white flowers, with a calyx tube 1 cm in length. The petals are round to triangular in shape and 5–7 mm long; the stamens are 0.75–2 cm long, and the style is 17 mm long.

The fruit is bell-shaped, with a narrow base and a very wide apex; there is often a groove along the side of the fruit that separates the base from the apex. The fruit measures 1.5–2 cm in length and 2.5–3.5 cm in width, featuring curved calyx lobes and an outer surface that ranges in color from white to red.

The flesh contains dense, fibrous tissue and a high water content. The fruit is odorless and has a sour or sweet-and-sour taste, sometimes with a subtle hint of bitterness. Each fruit contains 1–2 small seeds.

The fruit is typically served fresh as a table fruit, or used as an ingredient in salads, syrups, and asinan (pickled/brined fruit dishes). The wood is hard and reddish, making it suitable for construction, although the trees are generally too small for such purposes. The leaves are sometimes used as food wrappers.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Tribe: Syzygieae
Genus: Syzygium Gaertn. in Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 166 (1788)
Species: Syzygium aqueum (Burm.f.) Alston in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Peradeniya) 11: 204 (1929)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cerocarpus aqueus (Burm.f.) Hassk. in Flora 25(Beibl. 2): 36 (1842)
Eugenia aquea Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 114 (1768)
Jambosa aquea (Burm.f.) DC. in Prodr. 3: 288 (1828)
Malidra aquea (Burm.f.) Raf. in Sylva Tellur.: 107 (1838)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Eugenia callophylla (Miq.) Reinw. ex de Vriese in Pl. Ind. Bat. Orient.: 69 (1856)
Eugenia javanica Lam. in Encycl. 3: 200 (1789)
Eugenia nodiflora Aubl. in Hist. Pl. Guiane 2: 140 (1775)
Eugenia obversa Miq. in Nieuwe Verh. Eerste Kl. Kon. Ned. Inst. Wetensch. Amsterdam, ser. 3, 3: 18 (1850)
Jambosa calophylla Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind. 1(1): 423 (1855)
Jambosa javanica (Lam.) K.Schum. & Lauterb. in Fl. Schutzgeb. Südsee: 470 (1900)
Jambosa madagascariensis Blume in Mus. Bot. 1: 103 (1850)
Jambosa subsessilis Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind., Eerste Bijv.: 309 (1861)
Myrtus javanica (Lam.) Blume in Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 1084 (1826)
Syzygium javanicum (Lam.) Masam. in Enum. Phanerog. Born.: 530 (1942)
Syzygium obversum (Miq.) Masam. in Enum. Phanerog. Born.: 535 (1942)

PUBLICATIONS

(2019). https://www.mapress.com/j/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.427.2.2/38099. epublication.

Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.

Girmansyah, D. & al. (eds.) (2013). Flora of Bali an annotated checklist: 1-158. Herbarium Bogorensis, Indonesia.

Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Govaerts, R., Sobral, N., Ashton, P., Barrie, F., Holst, B.K., Landrum, L.L., Matsumoto, K., Fernanda Mazine, F., Nic Lughadha, E., Proença, C. & al. (2008). World Checklist of Myrtaceae: 1-455. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Karthigeyan, K., Pandey, R.P. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2023). Flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2: 1-689. Botanical Survey of India. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

National Parks Board Singapore (2006). Vascular Plant Life Checklist Pulau Ubin www.nparks.gov.sg/nparks_cms/cms/cmsmgr/data/6/PlantChkList.xls.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Singh, V., Singh, P. & Dash, S.S. (eds.) (2021). Flora of India 9: 1-482. Botanical Survey of India.

Soh, W.K. & Parnell, J. (2015). A revision of Syzygium Gaertn. (Myrtaceae) in Indochina (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam). Adansonia, sér. 3, 37: 179-275.

VERNACULAR NAME

Bali: Nyambu er
Chinese (simplified): 水莲雾
Chinese (traditional): 水蓮霧
English: Water apple, Jambu air, Bell fruit, Watery roseapple, Watery rose apple
Filipino: Tambis
Finnish: Vesijambolaani
French: Jambosier d'eau
Hong Kong: 水蓮霧
Indonesia: Jambu air, Jambu kancing, Jambu air kancing
Japanese: ミズレンブ
Java: Jambu wer
Macao: 水蓮霧
Madura: Jhâmbhu wir, Kalampok
Malaysia: Jambu air, Jambu air mawar
Minangkabau: Jambu aie
Palauan: Chedebsachel
Polish: Czapetka wodnista
Portuguese: Jambo-branco
Russian: Сизигиум прозрачноплодный
Seram: Jambu waelo, Kuputol waelo, Lutune waele, Kopo olo
Sinhala: රතු ජම්බු
Slovak: Klinčekovec vodný
Spanish: Cajuilito solimán
Sulawesi Selatan: Jambu jene, Jambu salo
Sulawesi Utara: Kumpas, Kumpasa, Kombas, Kembes
Sunda: Jambu cai
Taiwan: 水蓮霧
Thai: ชมพู่ป่า

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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