Syzygium

Syzygium
Syzygium malaccense
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Tribe: Syzygieae
Genus: Syzygium
R.Br. ex Gaertn.[1]
Species

About 1100; see text

Synonyms[2]
Syzygium paniculatum (Magenta lilly pilly)
Syzygium samarangense, with a cross section of the fruit
A cultivated white Syzygium

Syzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1200 species,[3] and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific.[4] Its highest levels of diversity occur from Malaysia to northeastern Australia, where many species are very poorly known and many more have not been described taxonomically. Fifty-two species are found in Australia and are generally known as lillipillies, brush cherries or satinash.[5]

Most species are evergreen trees and shrubs. Several species are grown as ornamental plants for their attractive glossy foliage, and a few produce edible fruit that are eaten fresh or used in jams and jellies. The most economically important species, however, is the clove Syzygium aromaticum, of which the unopened flower buds are an important spice. Some of the edible species of Syzygium are planted throughout the tropics worldwide, and several have become invasive species in some island ecosystems. Several species of Syzygium bear fruit that are edible for humans, many of which are named "roseapple".

At times Syzygium was confused taxonomically with the genus Eugenia (ca. 1000 species), but the latter genus has its highest specific diversity in the neotropics. Many species formerly classed as Eugenia are now included in the genus Syzygium, although the former name may persist in horticulture.[5]

Selected species

An Australian rainforest Syzygium exhibits cauliflory
Syzygium cumini in Kohat Pakistan

Species include:[6]

Formerly placed in this genus

References

  1. ↑ "Genus: Syzygium R. Br. ex Gaertn.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2009-01-27. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
  2. ↑ "WCSP". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ Jie Chen and Lyn A. Craven, "Syzygium P. Browne ex Gaertner, Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 166. 1788", Flora of China Online 13, retrieved 3 May 2015
  4. ↑ Tuiwawa, S. H.; Craven, L. A.; Sam, C.; Crisp, M. D. (23 August 2013). "The genus Syzygium (Myrtaceae) in Vanuatu" (PDF (free)). Blumea 58: 53–67. doi:10.3767/000651913x672271. Retrieved 29 Sep 2013.
  5. 1 2 Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray A. (2003). Australian native plants: cultivation, use in landscaping and propagation (Fifth ed.). Australia: Reed New Holland. p. 696. ISBN 1876334908.
  6. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Whistler, W. Arthur (1978). "Vegetation of the Montane Region of Savai'i, Western Samoa" (PDF). Pacific Science (The University Press of Hawai'i) 32 (1): 90. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989). "‘Ōhi‘a ha" (PDF). United States Forest Service.
  9. ↑ Roskov Y., Kunze T., Paglinawan L., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Culham A., Bailly N., Kirk P., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Hernandez F., De Wever A. (22 July 2013). "Catalogue of Life". Species 2000: Reading, UK.
  10. ↑ "GRIN Species Records of Syzygium". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-01-26.

External links

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