Syzygium malaccense is a species of flowering tree native to tropical Asia and Australia. It was cultivated from prehistoric times by the Austronesian peoples and introduced deliberately to remote Oceania as canoe plants. In modern times, it has been introduced throughout the tropics, including the Caribbean. The ripe fruit is edible but with little flavor.
Names
Syzygium malaccense has a number of English common names. It is known as Malay rose apple, Malay apple, mountain apple, rose apple, Otaheite apple, pink satin-ash, Jamaican Apple, plumrose and pommerac (derived from pomme Malac, meaning 'Malayan apple' in French).
In Hawaii, S. malaccense is called mountain apple or 'Ōhi'a 'ai. In Costa Rica, it is known as manzana de agua. In Jamaica, it is referred to as the Otaheite Apple. It is found mainly in the rainy zones on the Atlantic coast of the country. In Colombia, Puerto Rico, and other Latin American countries it is also found and known as poma rosa. In Venezuela, it is known as pumalaca. In Vanuatu is it called nakavita.
