Chompoo | ชมพู่ | Syzygium samarangense
Family: Myrtaceae - Genus: Syzygium
There are a number of rose apple trees on the premises of Eco-Logic Thailand, near the restaurant and the food forest.
Common names in English include wax apple, Java apple, Semarang rose-apple and wax jambu. Rose apple is a flowering tropical tree growing to 12 meters tall, with evergreen leaves 10–25 centimeters long and 5–10 centimeters broad. The leaves are elliptic, but rounded at the base; they are aromatic when crushed. The trunk is relatively short, with a wide – yet open – crown starting low on the tree. The bark is pinkish-gray in color, and flakes readily.
The flowers are white to yellowish-white, 2.5 centimeter diameter, with four petals and numerous stamens. They form in panicles of between 3 and 30 near branch tips. The resulting fruit is a bell-shaped, edible berry, with colors ranging from white, pale green, or green to red, purple, or crimson, to deep purple or even black. The fruit grows 4–6 centimeters long in wild plants, and has 4 fleshy calyx lobes at the tip. The skin is thin, and the flesh is white and spongy. Each berry holds 1–2 rounded seeds not larger than .8 centimeters. The flowers and resulting fruit are not limited to the axils of the leaves, and can appear on nearly any point on the surface of the trunk and branches. When mature, the tree is considered a heavy bearer, yielding a crop of up to 700 fruits.
When ripe, the fruit will puff outwards, with a slight concavity in the middle of the underside of the "bell". Healthy wax apples have a light sheen to them. Despite its name, a ripe wax apple only resembles an apple on the outside in color. It does not taste like an apple, and it has neither the fragrance nor the density of an apple. Its flavor is similar to a snow pear, and the liquid-to-flesh ratio of the wax apple is comparable to a watermelon. Unlike either apple or watermelon, the wax apple's flesh has a very loose weave. The very middle holds a seed situated in a sort of cotton-candy-like mesh. This mesh is edible, but flavorless.
Rose apples can be harvested from November to February, during the dry season in Paksong area.
THE TREE
Rose apple is a flowering tropical tree growing to 12 meters tall, with evergreen leaves 10–25 centimeters long and 5–10 centimeters broad.
When mature, the tree is considered a heavy bearer, yielding a crop of up to 700 fruits.
THE LEAVES
The leaves are elliptic, but rounded at the base; they are aromatic when crushed. The trunk is relatively short, with a wide – yet open – crown starting low on the tree. The bark is pinkish-gray in color, and flakes readily.
THE FLOWERS
The flowers are white to yellowish-white or pinkish, 2.5 centimeter diameter, with four petals and numerous stamens. They form in panicles of between 3 and 30 near branch tips.
THE FRUIT
The fruit of the rose apple is a bell-shaped, edible berry, with colors ranging from white, pale green, or green to red, purple, or crimson, to deep purple or even black. The fruit grows 4–6 centimeters long in wild plants, and has 4 fleshy calyx lobes at the tip. The skin is thin, and the flesh is white and spongy. Each berry holds 1–2 rounded seeds not larger than .8 centimeters.
When ripe, the fruit will puff outwards, with a slight concavity in the middle of the underside of the "bell". Healthy rose apples have a light sheen to them.
CULINARY USES
The fruit is often served uncut, but with the core removed, to preserve the unique bell-shaped presentation. The fruit can be used in salads, as well as in lightly sautéed dishes. It is mainly eaten as a fruit and also used to make pickles.
Rose apples can also be juiced, the color of its juice depends on the cultivar; it may be purple to entirely colorless. In general, the paler or darker the color, the sweeter it is.
NUTRITION
Rose apple is highly rich in nutrients like protein, fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
Rose apple has a long history of being used in traditional and folk medicine in various cultures. In the Chinese system of traditional medicine, the fruit and root bark are believed to be of use as a blood coolant. The fruit has been used as a diuretic and as a tonic for better health of the brain and liver.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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