From Eat the Weeds and other things, too
by Green Deane




Syzygium: A Jumble of Jambul
Syzygium spp.


Jambul, species Syzygiym cumini, ripens from white to dark purple
Jambul, species Syzygiym cumini, ripens from white to dark purple

The Jambul tree makes you wonder what people were thinking.

For a half a century or so the United States Department of Agriculture brought into Florida many species the state now considers problem plants. Jambul is one of them. It was introduced into south Florida as a shade tree, not once but three times, 1911, 1912 and 1920. It took 71 years for the species to become a naturalized pest and now a century later full-grown specimens can be found the warm south of the state to central Florida. Not bad for a tropical tree.

Jambul blossom in July
Jambul blossom in July

The species has been introduced into most warm areas of the world. However, in Hawaii it probably got there by migrating mynah birds and was first recorded on the islands in 1870. That state is trying to eradicate it. Jambul was also cultivated throughout the Caribbean and got to Puerto Rico in the 1920s, where it’s naturalized as well. Because of its later introduction there it is one of the few genera in the Caribbean that is not used much in local folk medicine (though very present in native India medicine.) As a forager there is little I can do about the genus except my civic duty and eat as many of its fruit as possible to reduce its spread. Actually there are at least two species of Syzygium naturalized in Florida, the S. cumini that bears dark purple fruit, above, and S. jambos, below, which has white to red fruit. Both species are called the Jambul tree (jam-BULL.)

Jambul, species Syzygium jambos
Jambul, species Syzygium jambos

A native of south Asia and Australia Jambul produces food, wood products, and materials for folk medicine. The dark fruit of the S. cumini tastes and smells like a ripe apricot but looks like a stretched black olive, very juicy and to me puckery like a chokecherry. The S. jambos has pearish-shaped fruit that ranges from white to green to yellow to red. Its flavor is more like an apple/green pepper cross with a rose scent and a slightly bitter aftertaste. It’s skin is thin, waxy, and the hollow core contains a small amount of inedible fluff.

Ripe Jambul (Syzygium cumini) fruit
Ripe Jambul (Syzygium cumini) fruit

Jambul fruit, which are high in vitamins C, can be eaten out of hand or made into sauces, tarts and jams. They make a good fruit sherbet, syrup and squash. They can be made into vinegar, wine or distilled, one native spirit being “jambava.” It is also a good honey tree. Harvesting of fruit in its native range is in summer or early fall. Here in Florida it tends to be in spring to summer. The leaves make good livestock feed and oil in the leaves has been used to scent soaps and perfumes. The bark yields a brown dye and has tannin for leather making. The wood is very durable to water. It’s used used to make beams, rafters, telephone poles, oars, ship masts, boats, and water troughs, among many more uses.

Terminal leaves are always in pairs
Terminal leaves are always in pairs

Often planted as a windbreak, the S. cumini trees can reach full height in 40 years, which in their native rage is near 100 feet. In Florida it is half that. It can have a crown 18 to 40 feet wide and often has multiple trunks radiating from near the ground. The Jambul can also grow in wet and dry areas as long as it has sun. The bark on the lower part of the tree is discolored, rough textured, cracked and flaking; young bark higher up is smooth and light gray. The paired, opposite leaves have a hint of turpentine when crushed. The evergreen leaves are two to ten inches long, one to four inches wide, oblong in shape, oval or elliptic, can be blunt or tapering to a point at the tips. The leaves start out pinkish then mature leathery and glossy, dark green above, light green below. Each leaf has a yellowish midrib. The S. jambos tends to be shorter, perhaps 45 feet at best in its native range, its leaves are more lance shaped, and the bark a smooth gray.

Medicinally the seeds of the Jambul have been used to control blood sugar levels and the leaves and bark high blood pressure. Incidentally, we regularly used another member of this genus, S. aromaticum. Its dried flower buds form the spice we know as “cloves.”

As is often the case the botanical name is Greek tainted by Latin. Syzygium is said to refer to the tree’s paired leaves, one also sees “twin” leaves. The base word, however, is zygos (zi-GHOS) the yoke. A person’s spouse in Greece is called my Zizigos (ZEE-zee-ghos) my yoke mate. So the Greek speaker would be strongly tempted to pronounce Syzygium as zee-ZEE-ee-yum. Anglicized Latin would have it sizz-ZYE-gee-um.

The species name cumini, said KOU-mee-nee, is from the Greek kyminon (KEY-mee-on) or in modern Greek Kymino (KEY-mee-no) meaning the spice cumin. Jambos (jam-BOS) is the Malaysian name for rose-apple though it comes from Sanskrit’s Jambudvīpa, which means rose apple land.

The Java Plum, or Jambul Fruit, is very high in tannins.
The Java Plum, or Jambul Fruit, is very high in tannins.

What can be said about the Jambul Tree? First, if you don’t like the name you can call it the Java Plum. The Indians prefer Jamun. The tree also demonstrates quite a few principles. One is that the toxin is often on the outside. Why? Because that is where insects, birds and other animals attack first. This is why green potatoes can make you sick if you eat the skins. In the case of the Jambul Tree the skin of the sweet fruit is loaded with tannin, about 10 times more than a red grape. So they are edible but there is a bitter astringency. Sprinkling with salt or soaking in salted water can reduce that. More on that in a moment.

Another principle being demonstrated this year is that Mother Nature rules. Last year the edible terrestrial mushroom season was off by six weeks because seasonal rains were either late or light. Last year the Jambul Trees fruited in early August. This year the rains have been iffy as is the fruiting. Foraging includes, among many skills, watching the weather. The major impediment to the tree — though it is a commercial fruit — is the tannins. Salt does mitigate that some when eating them fresh and is reported to lower blood glucose levels. Making wine out of the fruit is a challenge because of the tannin. Often when you make wine you have to add tannin. In this case one has to use strategies to reduce the tannin. This ranges from yeast selection to finding agents that grab onto the large tannin molecules and help them sink to the bottom so they can be left there.

Two and a half gallons of Jambul Wine before racking.
Two and a half gallons of Jambul Wine before racking.


Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile

Identification: S. cumini is a tree to 50 feet, S. jambos smaller, both often multiple trunks, bark on the lower part of S. cumini is discolored, rough textured, cracked and flaking, young bark higher up is smooth and light gray, bark on S. jambos smooth and gray. Paired opposite leaves have a hint of turpentine when crushed. The evergreen leaves of the S. cumini are two to ten inches long, one to four inches wide, oblong in shape, oval or elliptic, can be blunt or tapered to a point at tips, leaves of the S. jambos more lance shaped. Leaves start out pinkish then mature leathery and glossy, dark green above, light green below. Each leaf has a yellowish midrib.

Time of Year: Summer and fall in native range, late spring and summer in Florida area.

Environment: Likes sun, can tolerate wet and dry conditions, does not tolerate freezes unless full grown then iffy.

Method of Preparation: Fruit out of hand, or use as any fruit as jelly, sauce, syrup, wine, spirits and vinegar.


Green Deane's Disclaimer
Information contained on this website is strictly and categorically intended as a reference to be used in conjunction with experts in your area. Foraging should never begin without the guidance and approval of a local plant specialist. The providers of this website accept no liability for the use or misuse of information contained in this website.



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Bibliography

Deane, Green. "Syzygium: A Jumble of Jambul." Eat the Weeds and other things, too. www.eattheweeds.com/syzygium-a-jumble-of-jambul-2/. Accessed 10 June 2018.
Deane, Green. Newsletter no. 460, 8 June 2021, Eat the Weeds and other things, too. www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-460-june-8th-2021/. Accessed 25 June 2021.

Published 10 June 2018 LR. Last update 25 June 2021 LR
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