Syzygium nervosum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Syzygium nervosum DC.

Protologue: Prodr. 3: 260 (1828).

Synonyms

Eugenia operculata Roxb. (1832), Syzygium operculatum (Roxb.) Niedenzu (1893), Cleistocalyx operculatus (Roxb.) Merr. & Perry (1937).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: salam banen (Sundanese), banje, jambon (Javanese, Java)
• Philippines: malaruhat (general). Burma (Myanmar): tea-thaby-ay
• Thailand: wa-khao (Surat Thani), wa-nam (Phangnga).

Distribution

India, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, southern China, Thailand, throughout Malesia, to northern Australia (Northern Territory).

Uses

The timber is used locally for house building and implements. The fruit is edible. In Indo-China a substitute for tea is made from the leaves.

Observations

A medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 40 m tall, bole up to 80 cm in diameter, with sharp buttresses up to 2.5 m high, bark surface smooth to scaly or flaky, greyish-brown; leaves elliptical-oblong to elliptical-lanceolate, (6-)8-22 cm × 3-7 cm, with 7-15 pairs of secondary veins distinct below, petiole up to 15 mm long; flowers in lateral many-flowered, paniculate inflorescence on twigs below the leaves, calyx calyptriform, the upper part falling as a lid; fruit ellipsoid to globose, c. 1 cm long, red, purplish or black when ripe. S. nervosum occurs in forest up to 1500 m altitude, usually at the margins of freshwater swamps and near streams. The wood is greyish-yellow; the density is 680-850 kg/m³at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

36, 78, 90, 120, 218, 234, 249, 474, 480, 529, 705.