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Syzygium jambos

Ka‘ika Papa‘ā

Rose Apple

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Leaves, flower and fruit	51KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Rose Apple, Malabar Plum, Jumbu, Malay Rose-Apple; German Rosenapfel

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ka‘ika Papa‘ā (RR MK MT AK), Ka‘ika Varāni (MG), Kaika (AT); Other Polynesian - Seasea Pālagi (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE se.Asia - Indonesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (+++) (mid-elev.)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Fruit 1+); Invasive - moderate (Rarotonga - inland)

KEY FEATURES: Multi-trunked tree to 12m. LEAVES opposite, narrow-oval, to 20x5cm, glossy dark green, tapering each end, tip sharp; stalk thick, 1cm. FLOWERS clusters; each large, spiky, cream, to 5cmØ. FRUIT round, to 5cmØ, pale yellow to pink-yellow; flesh thin and mild, tasting of rose water; seed large, loose, rattling.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	+++	++	+	++	P	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Syzygium jambos Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Eugenia jambos [incl. TC/GW]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Myrtales; MYRTACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Fruit occasionally eaten.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.975 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.637 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.1092 Hortus 3rd
p.1136 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.460 Tropica
p.3/356 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.280 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.81 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.364d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.34 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD06a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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