Syzygium malaccense ‘Mountain Apple’

[realarch]

A common fruit here in Hawai’i, known as Ohi’a ‘ai, blooms and fruits abundantly once a year. A beautiful scarlet fruit with the shape and crunch of a pear and is mildly sweet. To me its subtle taste has a rose water flavor. 

It flowers and fruits from the stems and branches well hidden within the dense leafy mid sized tree. The skin is very thin and they bruise easily, lasting only a few days when ripe.

Here are a few photos.

Tim 

[realarch]

More photos of the fruit.

Tim

[bubba]

Tim,

I took a picture of a tree/shrub labeled “Red Malay Apple” at Gene Joyner’s Unbelievable Acres Botanic Gardens in West Palm. It was in January and did not have any fruit that I could see. Is this possibly the same species in your thread?

[bubba]

[realarch]

Bubba, I believe it is. We prune ours back to make the fruit more accessible, but I’ve seen them growing wild in the forest and the habit looks more like your photos. Taller with a open habit.

Tim