Syzygium

Trees or shrubs, mostly glabrous. Leaves opposite; blade venation brochidodromous. Inflorescences (1 or)2–100-flowered, terminal or axillary, dichasia, panicles, or racemes. Flowers [3 or]4(or 5)-merous, sessile or pedicellate; bud turbinate, clavate, or obovoid; hypanthium forming a tube, prolonged well beyond summit of ovary, base often attenuate; calyx lobes usually distinct and well developed, in opposing subequal to equal pairs, rarely calyptrate and circumscissile at anthesis; petals white, distinct or coherent and calyptrate and falling as a unit at anthesis; stamens 50–300[–500], borne in a ring surmounting hypanthium; ovary 2(–4)-locular; style often persistent in developing fruit; ovules 2–90. Fruits berries, red, purple, purple-black, yellow, or reddish, globose, ellipsoid, or subglobose, usually excavated apically; calyx lobes persistent or caducous. Seeds usually 1[or 2, rarely 3–5], reniform to subglobose; seed coat membranous; embryo subglobose to reniform; cotyledons distinct, plano-convex, thick. x = 11.

Distribution

Introduced; s, se Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands (New Guinea), Australia.

Discussion

Species ca. 1000 (3 in the flora).

Many species of Syzygium are widely cultivated throughout the tropics as fruit or ornamental trees or as hedges. They are not tolerant of cold. Two species are naturalized in southern Florida and another in southern California.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Syzygium australe, Syzygium cumini, Syzygium jambos

Key

1	Inflorescences 15–100-flowered, panicles; floral buds 4–5 mm; calyx lobes 0.5 × 0.5 mm, caducous; petals coherent.	Syzygium cumini
1	Inflorescences (1 or) 2–8-flowered, dichasia or racemes; floral buds 6–30 mm; calyx lobes 2–8 × 2–10 mm, persistent; petals distinct.	> 2
2	Leaf blades obovate or elliptic, 3–9 × 1.2–3.2 cm; petals 3–5 mm diam.; berries 1.4–2.3 cm; California.	Syzygium australe
2	Leaf blades narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 12–24 × 3–5 cm; petals 10–15 mm diam.; berries 3–4 cm; Florida.	Syzygium jambos