176 MYRTACEAE 
R. australis A.J.Scott 
Evergreen trees or shrubs 3-8 m high, often 
multistemmed; bark grey. Vegetative parts with a 
closely adpressed white tomentum, upper surface of 
leaves glabrescent. Leaves opposite; petioles 
6-11 mm long; blades white below, green above, 
lanceolate or ovate or broadly elliptic, 48-105 mm 
long, 23-59 mm wide, L/B 1.3-2.7, intramarginal 
vein and midrib prominent below, acuminate. 
Inflorescence a few flowered axillary dichasium, 
Rhodamnia 
4-merous. Sepals semi-circular, c. 1.5 mm long, 
ciliate. Petals obovate, c. 4 mm long. Stamens in a 
continuous ring in several series, to 3 mm long. Ovary 
1-locular. Fruit a fleshy berry maturing black, 
depressed globular, crowned by the persistent 
calyx; c. 8 mm long. Seeds c. 12, cream, shiny, 
angular. Flowering: Dec - Feb; fruiting: Feb - Mar. 
Fig. 55 
Australian endemic. Chiefly coastal and subcoastal, 
from Melville Is. to Cape York. In monsoon forests 
in sandstone gorges and coastal vine thickets. In the 
DR known from Melville Is. 
c. 10 mm long, sparsely sericeous. Bracteoles 
c. 1 mm long. Hypanthium c. 1.5 mm long; perianth 
SYZYGIUM Gaertn. 
Trees or shrubs, evergreen, usually glabrous. Leaves exstipulate, opposite; penniveined, usually with 
a conspicuous intramarginal vein. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, cymose; bracts caducous. Flowers 
4(5)-merous. Calyx and corolla lobes free or in 2 species in the DR, + calyptrate. Stamens cream to white, 
free, numerous. Ovary 2(3)-locular. Fruit fleshy; calyx lobes usually persistent except when calyptrate, 
surrounding a shallow apical cavity. Seed usually solitary. 
About 500 species, Old World tropics and Australasia. In Australia there are c. 50 species with 8 in the NT, 
all in the DR. [Hyland, 1983] 
Syzygium is well known for its edible fruits with species such as Malay Apple (S. malaccense (L.) Merr. & 
F.M.Perry), Water Apple (S. aqueum (Burm.f.) Alston) and Jambolan (S. cumini (L.) Skeels) cultivated in 
northern Australia. Many of the native NT species have edible fruits with the most palatable being S. 
suborbiculare (q.v.) and S. eucalyptoides subsp. bleeseri (Specht, 1958; Levitt, 1981). The nutritional compo- 
sition of several species is provided by Miller et al.(1993). Medicinal properties are reported for the leaves, 
bark, fruit and seed of S. suborbiculare (Levitt, 1981; Scarlett et al. 1982; Abor. Comm. NT, 1993). A number 
of species are important timber trees in Qld. Although many of the NT species would provide useful timber, 
stands are too small and too scattered. Formation of bark in the wood of S. suborbiculare and S. eucalyptoides 
makes these species useless for sawn timber (Hyland, 1983). Australian and Asian species of Syzygium were 
formerly under Eugenia. 
KEY BASED ON FRUIT CHARACTERS 
{Ges Fruit whites rete emer ree teresterecsrercteterstisnesrierereatesrsteugererrenicattent tevtectrisretresttiveieticscrtrts 2 
1. Fruit variously coloured, not pure white 4 
Meme ETuit cae oti lon pieerretthrerrererssteceetitstisterttareniteree titizes taser stearcesetessettreareetterteseerereirtteltrters S. forte 
2. Fruit <25 mm long 3 
3. — Fruit depressed globular, surface TUgOSE .......ss.ssssesecessessesesesnesestesseneneenensensneeneaenseeaeeneneens S. armstrongii 
3. © -Fruit + cylindrical or obOVOid, SMOOtH ..2.........s.c.seso-ceresssscersereresacseessssvcecsssasessgsasescseseegersee S. minutuliflorum 
AD) Fruit>30 mm long ircstete..ccosccscssersesessctisstessecasescascsseessonsgeststecsesstnscscassegesteieesescecescaseeteceses 7 S. suborbiculare 
4. Fruit <30. mm Jong ..oc sane ecesssscsessesecnsesseegssscssenescscsscsesscsocscsvesosezscossncsecnssatovcasonenecssosessests 5 
5. Fruit purple to black or white with a purple DIUSH «00... eseeseseestesseeseeeneesneeneesneeneennennes 6 
5. Fruit red, bright pink or white with a red DIUSH ........-sessessesesesseesessessesnessessssseesssnsenenneenennes 7 
6. — Fruit without persistent sepals .............ssssssrsrersrersssscsescesescenrsscesessscesersasneasacsessscnsnencasesesee S.neryosum 
6. Fruit with persistent sepals............s.ssscssstssesssrsessssssecersdecscssossooscsssenesssoresacessatesesesatessosoeoseorse S. angophoroides 
