1220

 Syzygium malaccense (L) Merr.& Perry

Synonym	:	Jambosa purpurascens DC.
Family	:	MYRTACEAE
Local name	:	Malayalam -  Chuvannachamba English     -   Malay Apple
Flowering and fruiting period	:	February-June
Distribution	:	Native of Malaysia, cultivated in other parts of Tropical Asia
Distribution in Kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Cultivated
Uses	:	Decoction of the bark is used against vaginal infection, while the root is used to treat itching.
Key botanical characters: Trees, to 10 m high; bark grey-brown, smooth; branchletsterete-compressed. Leaves simple, opposite, estipulate; petiole 8-15 mm, stout, grooved above; lamina 16-34 x 5-13 cm, elliptic; base cuneate, coriaceous, glabrous, glossy, gland dotted; lateral nerves 10-15 pairs, pinnate, slender, prominent, looped near the margin forming intramarginal nerves, intercostae reticulate, prominent. Flowers bisexual, large; calyx tube 1.5 cm; lobes round, unequal; petals large, glandular, suborbicular; stamens 2 cm, many, bent inwards in middle when in bud; ovary inferior, 2-celled, ovules many; style long. Fruit a berry,