JAVA PLUM
Family - Myrtaceae
Scientific name - Eugenia jambolana Syzygium
jamboanum or cumini
COMMON NAMES:
1) In English it is also known as the Black Plum.
2) In Hindi Jamun or Jambhool.
3) In Bengali Kala Jam.
4) In Marathi Jambhur or Jaman.
5) In Tamil Naval or Nagai.
WHERE IT GROWS:
1) This tree originated in India, Burma, Sri
Lanka and Malaysia, and grows all over the country except in very dry sandy
areas.
2) It also grows well in Australia.
3) It is very common in Maharashtra where
forests of Jambhool can be seen.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
1) It is tall and fast growing after the first
two years.
2) An evergreen tree, it can grow in many
conditions and is fairly hardy.
3) It has a pale or darker grey-brown bark
which is rough and thick, and peels off in patches.
4) The branches start high up the trunk and
make a wide tent of leaves.
LEAVES OF THE JAVA PLUM TREE:
1) These grow facing each other up the stems,
some thin and lance-like, others oval and others almost round.
2) If the leaves up to the light tiny
transparent spots can be seen all over them.
3) These spots can be seen on many of the leaves
of family of which the Jamun is a member.
4) The trees lose their leaves in early
spring, usually January or February.
5) When the leaves are crushed they have a
strong smell.
6) They are often fed to the Tasar silk worms.
FLOWERS OF THE JAVA PLUM:
1) These are greenish-white in colour and very
tiny.
2) They are bunched together in groups on
stalks that grow out under the leaves.
3) They are very sweetly perfumed, and open
from March to May.
FRUIT OF THE JAVA PLUM:
1) These ripen in June or July and sometimes a
little earlier.
2) They are oval in shape and dark purple in
colour when ripe.
3) They vary in size but can grow quite large,
about the size of a pigeon’s egg.
4) They are very juicy and sweet when ripe, but the juice dries the mouth, and some people do not like to eat them for this reason.
5) Ponies love the Jamun fruit and a few can often be seen with their mouths covered in pale purple froth.
6) Many people do not like to plant this tree
in their gardens as the fruits when they fall make a mess and small boys throw
stones at the tree so that they can steal the fruit.
USES OF THE JAVA PLUM:
1) The tree is often planted near temples.
2) It is also planted for the shade it gives
on the sides of roads in cities.
3) Liquor and vinegar are made from the juice
of the fruit and many parts of the tree are used in local medicine.
