Syzygium australe Fruit Report

[elouicious]

Hey All-

I think I ID'd this as Syzygium australe after taking a look at the trees on stanfords tree map- It clearly is surviving in Z9a, but in a courtyard against a wall so may be benefiting from radiative heating



Here is a (not great) photo of the flower



better flower



And of course the fruit!











The money shot-



Beautifully crisp and juicy with a bit of lemony tartness, good amount of flesh to seed ratio-

I'll collect some seeds and put em up for sale

[pagnr]

Yes that looks like Syzygium australe.

[elouicious]

Thanks pagnr!

whats your opinion of the fruit?

[pagnr]

The fruit is quite nice, but also small. It is similar to other Syzygium fruit like Rose Apple or Malay Apple, maybe not as stand out as either, but with qualities of both.
Same for Syzygium paniculatum, which is a bit more airy and floral than australe. Oleosum is also similar to paniculatum.
The standout for small fruited Australian Syzygiums is probably Riberry, Syzygium leuhmannii. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_luehmannii

[Galatians522]

The fruit is quite nice, but also small. It is similar to other Syzygium fruit like Rose Apple or Malay Apple, maybe not as stand out as either, but with qualities of both.
Same for Syzygium paniculatum, which is a bit more airy and floral than australe. Oleosum is also similar to paniculatum.
The standout for small fruited Australian Syzygiums is probably Riberry, Syzygium leuhmannii. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_luehmannii

Very interesting. I wonder why we get some junk species here and not the really good ones?

[nattyfroootz]

I've got a hand full of leuhmannii. Really looking forward to that one due to its supposedly distinctive flavor

[elouicious]

I found the paniculatum to be a bit astringent- and more of a lavender than a lemon taste- but both were crisp and juicy-

I agree they are small but they are quite easy to clean and separate from the seeds which makes using them in cooking-

I think that the "best" Syzygiums are probably wax jambu and rose apple but they have climate restrictions that make them not easy to grow in most of the US, and I personally do not find them to be good enough to haul in and out of the house every year-

These seem to have a cold tolerance which is a major benefit, and the fact that they fruit in this part of the year is another big attraction for me

[pagnr]

Very interesting. I wonder why we get some junk species here and not the really good ones?

The paniculatum and australe and smithii have been in cultivation as ornamentals for a long time, and are suitable for Southern and Inland Australia.
Some others are more recent introductions, first as ornamentals and later as edible "bush foods".
Many Syzygiums are from NTH QLD and Cape York. Most can be moved south, particularly those from the tropical highlands. A few prefer the Wet Tropics only.
Many of these are probably not well known till recently.