Saturday, April 4, 2009

Syzygium samarangense (java apple)

The Syzygium samarangense fruit is an edible berry, shiny, bell-shaped, narrowed at the base, very broad, flattened, indented and adorned with the 4 fleshy calyx lobes at the apex, with colors ranging from white, pale green, green, red, purple, crimson, to deep purple or even black in some wild vereities;

The fruit is called by many names as wax apple, love apple, java apple, Chomphu, Bellfruit, jambu air, water apple, mountain apple, jambu air, water guava, wax jambu, Rose apple, makopa, tambis, and chambekka.

The greenish fruits are eaten raw with salt or may be cooked as a sauce. The pink fruits are juicier and more flavorful and suitable for eating out-of-hand

The bark of the tree is known to contain oleanolic acid, an anti-HIV compound.
[image: close shot of a champekka fruit]