Syzygium malaccense

Tuiwawa, S. H., Craven, L. A., Sam, C. & Crisp, M. D., 2013, The genus Syzygium (Myrtaceae) in Vanuatu, Blumea 58 (1), pp. 53-67 : 61

10. Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry

Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry (1938b) 215. — Eugenia malaccensis L. (1753) 470. — Myrtus malaccensis (L.) Spreng. (1825) 484. — Jambosa malaccensis (L.) DC. (1828) 286. — Type: not designated. Jarvis (2007) lists two plates that are available for lectotypification purposes: Herb. Hermann 5: 241, No. 187 [icon] (BM), and Rheede, Hort. Malab. 1: 29, t. 18. 1678.

Tree up to 25 m tall. Vegetative branchlets terete or slightly quadrangular without wings, c. 6 mm diam; bark dull, cracked to slightly ribbed, not glandular or verrucose, persistent. Leaf lamina 10.5–25 by 6.3–7.9 cm, lanceolate or obovate or elliptic; base symmetric, cuneate; apex acute or acuminate, acumen flat; margin slight undulate; chartaceous, drying reddish brown above; primary vein (midrib) c. 1 mm wide; secondary veins open, 8–13 each side of primary vein, 11–18 mm apart; intramarginal vein strongly arched, 1–6 mm from the margin at the lamina midpoint; secondary intramarginal vein weakly arched; tertiary intramarginal vein absent; oil dots present, visible to the unaided eye in transmitted light, small, dense. Petiole 6–9 by 2 mm, adaxially strongly grooved. Inflorescence ramiflorous, sometimes cauliflorous, cymose, c. 6 by 3 cm, 5–7 flowers per anthopodium; hypopodium 10– 20 mm long; main inflorescence axis c. 2 mm wide, terete, dull, smooth to longitudinally cracked; ebracteate. Hypanthium pink, stipitate, stipe c. 8 mm long; clavate to campanulate; c. 3 by 1 cm, dull, not visibly gland dotted, minutely wrinkled. Sepals 4, c. 4 by 6 mm, semicircular, persistent, free. Petals 4, deciduous, not coherent, rhombic, c. 10 by 10 mm, visibly gland dotted; margin entire. Stamens many, more than 50, outermost stamens up to 2.3 cm long; filament free, pink; anther sacs parallel, narrowly oblong or elliptic. Style up to 2.5 cm long. Fruit green becoming pink or red in ripening, smooth, plane, oblong, c. 2 by 1.5 cm.

Distribution & Ecology — Vanuatu (Malampa province: Ambrym. Penama province: Pentecost; Sanma province: Espiritu Santo; Shefa province: Efate, Epi; Tafea province: Aneityum, Erromango, Tanna; Torba province: Torres Islands, Banks Islands-Vanua lava). Syzygium malaccense is widespread in the Southeast Asian-Malesian-Southwest Pacific region where it is frequently cultivated. Syzygium malaccense is common throughout the Vanuatu archipelago occurring from sea level to elevations of c. 500 m asl.

Vernacular names — Ahi-ngakapika (Ambrym); waveh (Erromango); Inyhueg (Aneityum).

Uses — The fruits are edible; the durable hardwood is used for building posts and rafters.

Notes — 1. Records have indicated flowering to occur throughout the year and fruiting between May and November.

2. Syzygium malaccense may represent an early introduction by man to Vanuatu and other Southwest Pacific islands. The species is commonly cultivated because of its edible fruits. It is treated here as being indigenous in Vanuatu.

3. With its mass flowering, the dark pink almost red inflorescence of S. malaccense stands out quite conspicuously when observed in the field.

4. Type for S. malaccense has not been designated so both plates listed by Jarvis (2007) were opted instead, for lectotypification purposes, with no formal designation.