Rose apple (Eugenia aquea or Syzygium aqueum)

Rose apple (Eugenia aquea or Syzygium aqueum), is a member of the tribe of Myrtaceae, originating from Southeast Asia, usually served as table fruit, or used as a salad ingredient, also can be used as a candied or pickled.

The wood is hard, reddish pretty color and good to be used as a building material, as long as it does not hit the ground directly, but  usually just the trunk size is too small.  The wood is either be used as firewood.

Rose Apple trees growth spread across south East Asia, but generally, trees are not grown in bulk. The tree is usually planted as a shade plant.

Characteristics of the tree:

Rose apple is a herbaceous plant, with a height of 3-10 m. Often with swollen stem-bent and branched from the base of the tree.

Single leaf located opposite one another, with the size of stemmed 0.5-1.5 cm.  Leaves, heart-shaped oblong to round eggs inverted oval, 7-25 x 2.5 to 16 cm, slightly aromatic smell when crushed. Rose apple leaves belonged to an incomplete single leaf, because it only has a petiole (petioles) and leaf blade (lamina), which is commonly referred to stem leaves. Reinforced pinnate leaves, vein (Costa), the bones of the branches (lateral nerve) was evident, and leaf veins (vein) is clearly visible. Meat leaves, thin as parchment (perkamenteus), leaf surface glabrous and has leaves with a flat edge. Tip of the leaf,  forms an obtuse angle (obtuse). The base of the leaves do not form a corner but curvy, petiole cylindrical and not thickened at the base.

Bouquet of flowers in panicles at the end of the branch (terminal) or appear in the armpit leaves have fallen (axial), contains 3-7 florets. Whitish yellow flowers, with petals tube about 1 cm in length; petals round to triangular, 5-7 mm; between 0.75 to 2 cm stamens and pistil stalk that reaches 17 mm.

This plant is a tree-shaped, clear stem, woody (lignosus), cylindrical, erect, rough skin, blackish brown trunk,  the trees grow upright. Bough branches inclined to grow upwards but there also grows horizontally. 

The fruit:

There are several varieties of Rose apple, with a variety of fruit shape are slightly different from one another. But in general, the fruit is not only reaching a maximum of a handful of large, shaped top with a small base and the tip of a very wide (often with a curve that separated the sides of the base to the tip); 1.5-2 x 2.5-3.5 cm ; crowned fleshy petals and curved; outer side is white, reddish green to red. White pieces of meat, lots of watery, barely scented; sour taste sweet or sour.

Rose-apples are a popular fruit among children in tropical areas, according to Purdue University. The fruits provide thiamin, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and sulfur. The rose apple also is a source of fiber and is low in fat and calories, with 56 calories per 100g of the edible portion of the plant.

Scientific classification:

• Kingdom: Plantae (Plants)
•       Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular Plants)
•           Super Division: Spermatophyta (Produces seeds)
•               Division: Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)
•                   Class: Magnoliopsida (dashed two / dicots)
•                       Sub Class: Rosidae
•                           Order: Myrtales
•                               Family: Myrtaceae
•                                   Genus: Eugenia
•                                       Species: Eugenia aquea Burm.F

Other Version:

•                                             Genus: Syzygium
•                                                  Species: Syzygium aqueum.