Syzygium myrtifolium, Eugenia oleina, Eugenia myrtifolia, Syzygium campanulatum

The young leaves of Syzygium myrtifolium are often either yellow or orange. There is a cultivar with dark red young leaves and bright pink to maroon flowers.

They are often used as a hedging plant or ornamental tree, also sculptured into topiaries or even made into bonsai.

Syzygium oleosum

Small shrub, bush, or tree to 20-40ft, but can grow taller. The blue lilly pilly is fairly hardy and needs only a subtropical climate to flourish. Protection should be given from long or hard freezes. Plants enjoy profuse amounts of water but will grow in drier areas, and grow best in areas of light sun or shade. Flowers are small and fluffy, with a creamy white color. Propagation: By seeds or cuttings. Eaten fresh and used in jams, jellies, preserves, drinks.

Syzygium paniculatum, Eugenia paniculata

Native to temperate and tropical rainforests of Australia's east coast, The Brush Cherry is a small tree or shrub, sometimes used as a hedge. The new foliage, produced nearly year round, is bronze-red then maturing to a 1 to 3 inch glossy green leaf. The leaves are darker above, and paler below. White showy flowers are produced during Spring and Summer; they come in clusters, followed by fruit ripening 2-3 months later. Cherry sized, with crispy flesh surrounding a pea sized seed, it is pink, red and sometimes purple, particularly pretty when ripening. The fruit is thirst quenching, eaten fresh, but has no particular flavor. It can be used to make preserves.

The tree prefers moderate moisture year round, with a subtropical climate. Hardy to 25F, and stem hardy to short duration temperatures to about 20° F. Can be planted in coastal areas with protection from direct ocean winds. Compact grower, it can be successfully cultivated as a container plant. Recommended as a topiary subject.

Syzygium polyanthum , Eugenia balsamea, Eugenia nitida, Eugenia polyantha

Syzygium puberulum

Pendulous showy white flowers followed by oblong red fruits.

Syzygium pycnanthum

Syzygium samarangense, Syzygium javanicum, Eugenia javanica

This free-branching, medium sized tree similar to Malay Apple, is somewhat hardier. It also has large and wide glossy leaves and a waxy-looking fruit, probably hence the common name. 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. They are slightly fragrant, white to pale yellow, 2-3 inches wide, with four petals and countless stamens are very showy and are a rich source of nectar for honey bees. Flowers fall on the ground in 2-3 days, leaving behind the tiny fruits to mature and ripen in about 2 months. In favorable conditions, a healthy tree can produce abundant fruits and has two fruiting seasons annually, May-September and November to March. When mature, the tree is considered a heavy bearer and can yield a crop of up to 700 fruit. Fruit are are pear-shaped, 1.5-2 inches long, skin is smooth, waxy, come in varying colors ranging from white, pale green, green, pink, rose red and crimson. The reddest fruits are the sweetest and superior varieties of excellent quality are available. One of the most highly prized and sought after wax apples in Taiwan are "black pearls," which are purplish-red. Often seedless, fruits can be eaten out-of-hand. They are remarkably refreshing, juicy and quenching on a hot day. The liquid to flesh ratio of the wax apple is comparable to a watermelon. The texture is crisp, almost crunchy and juicy with a sweet, mildly scented flavor.

In Indian-Ocean-Island cuisine, the fruit is frequently used in salads, as well in with light sauteed dishes. The unripe fruits eaten with salt or dipped in a sweetish-spicy sauce.

Wax Jamboo tree usually requires very little attention and no pruning is needed. It needs adequate rainfall, some humidity and fertile soil for best growth, and is hardy to around freezing, possibly a few degrees below. Wax Jambu tree can be grown in a large container for many years, needing very little care. Just regular watering and occasional feed will be enough to get sufficient fruit to enjoy twice annually.

Syzygium suborbiculare, Eugenia suborbicularis

This tree is one of the so-called 'lilly pillys', but unlike most lilly pillys, it is not an inhabitant of rainforests. It has large, broad, lime green leathery leaves (suborbiculare literally means "almost round", referring to the leaves) and a flaky bark. An unusual feature of this tree is that it has a lignotuber: an underground storage organ which allows it to regenerate following fire or being chopped down, much like a eucalyptus tree. Being fairly drought and salt tolerant, it is common through Australian savannah woodland and on the edge of coastal floodplain growing in sandy soil.

The flowers are huge white brushes of long white stamens, which are short-lived, but nevertheless very spectacular. The fruits have to be the biggest attraction. In harsh, windswept areas the fruits are not much bigger than 1-1.5 inch in diameter, but under the right conditions are nearly 4 inch! They are dark blood red in color and strongly ribbed, unlike most lilly pillys. The flesh is firm and crunchy and can easily be broken away from the single large seed. The flesh has a sharp pleasant tang and is greatly revered by all bush travelers who know it. Apart from eating huge numbers of fruit, Aborigines are known to use the fruit for colds and chest congestion and squeeze the juice and pulp into their ears to relieve earache.

Because of its ability to tolerate salt spray, drought and fire, while giving good shade, beautiful flowers and exquisite fruit, this tree should be seen more often in cultivation, especially in the dry tropics.

Syzygium unipunctatum

Syzygium zeylanicum, Eugenia zeylanica, Eugenia spicata

Fruits are small white berries with sweet pulp, eaten by birds, squirrels, fruit-eating animals and humans.

Used as ornamental for its neat crown and attractive reddish-brown bark.