Common Name:

General Information

Syzygium claviflorum is a shrub or tree growing from 3 - 15 metres tall in southern China[]. In Borneo it becomes an emergent tree that can be 69 metres tall with a straight bole 20 metres or more long and 91cm in diameter[, , ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of wood. The wood is a useful structural timber that is sometimes marketed in Australia as 'Grey Satinash'[]. The tree is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruits in southern China[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - China, Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, northern Australia.

Habitat

Dense or open broad-leaved evergreen forests, valleys, hills; at elevations from 100 - 1,300 metres[]. Undisturbed, sometimes rather open, vegetation types including mixed dipterocarp, coastal, keranga and peat-swamp forests up to 900 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is found in the wild on poor sandy to peaty soils and ultramafic[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. Used as a pickle[]. The purplish-red to black, long ellipsoid to long pot-shaped fruit is up to 20mm long and 8mm wide[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The creamy-coloured wood is used locally and also traded[, , ].
We do not have any more specific information for the wood of this species, but the various species of Syzygium tend to have somewhat similar timber. The general description of syzygium timber is as follows:-
The heartwood is a golden brown, greyish brown or brown, with pink or purplish glints; it is not clearly demarcated from the 1 - 4cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is fine; the grain slightly interlocked, sometimes wavy or irregular; there are resin deposits. The wood is heavy; moderately hard; somewhat durable, being moderately resistant to fungi and termites, but susceptible to dry wood borers. It seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. It works well with ordinary tools, nailing and screwing are good so long as the wood is pre-bored; gluing is correct. The wood is used for musical instruments, tool handles, furniture components, ship building, heavy carpentry, flooring, joinery etc[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe.

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