Java plum

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Black Plum
• Java-plum
• Malabar-plum
• Portuguese-plum
• jambolan
• rose-apple
• Jamun
• Malabar plum

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Eugenia cumini
• Eugenia fruticosa
• Myrtus obovata
• Calyptranthes jambolana
• Myrtus corticosa
• Myrtus cumini
• Jambolifera chinensis
• Jambolifera coromandelica
• Calyptranthes caryophyllifolia
• Calyptranthes oneillii
• Syzygium jambolanum var. axillare
• Eugenia obtusifolia
• Eugenia obovata
• Eugenia odorata
• Eugenia tenuis
• Eugenia tsoi
• Eugenia jambolana
• Eugenia jambolana var. caryophyllifolia
• Eugenia jambolana var. obtusifolia
• Eugenia jambolifera
• Eugenia djouat
• Eugenia brachiata
• Eugenia caryophyllifolia
• Calyptranthes cumini
• Caryophyllus corticosus
• Calyptranthes cuminodora
• Syzygium cumini var. tsoi
• Calyptranthes pedunculata
• Syzygium caryophyllifolium
• Syzygium brachiatum
• Syzygium fruticosum
• Syzygium jambolanum
• Syzygium tenue
• Caryophyllus jambos
• Syzygium obovatum
• Syzygium obtusifolium
• Syzygium pseudojambolana
• Syzygium jambolanum var. acuminata
• Syzygium jambolanum var. elliptica
• Syzygium jambolanum var. obovata
• Calyptranthes jambolifera
• Eugenia calyptrata

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. It is further categorized under the subclass Magnoliidae, the order Myrtales, and the family Myrtaceae. Ultimately, its taxonomic identity is defined by its placement within the genus Syzygium.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution spanning across several regions of the African continent. In West Tropical Africa, its presence is documented in the countries of Guinea-Bissau and Guinea. Moving toward the eastern part of the continent, the species can be found throughout East Tropical Africa. Specifically, it inhabits the territories of Kenya and Tanzania. Furthermore, its range extends into Uganda, completing its notable presence within the East Tropical African zone.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Syzygium cumini is characterized by a broad altitudinal distribution, spanning from sea level up to a maximum elevation of 2430 m AMSL. This species demonstrates significant adaptability to different environments, as it is found both in cultivated settings and occurring naturally along coastal regions.

Elevational range max:

2430 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

cultivated, naturalised on coast

Genetics

The genetics of Syzygium cumini are characterized by a complex chromosomal architecture and varying levels of polyploidy within different populations. The species exhibits significant karyological diversity, with recorded chromosome numbers including 22, 33, 42, 44, 46, 55, and 66. Despite this range of numerical variation, the baseline ploidy level is identified as 2, suggesting that the fluctuations in chromosome counts may be linked to specific evolutionary adaptations or hybridization events within the genus.

Chromosome number :

22, 33, 42 44, 46, 55, 66

Ploidy :

2

Life history

The life history of Syzygium cumini is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, allowing it to persist across multiple growing seasons. As a phanerophyte, the plant maintains its photosynthetic organs on elevated stems or branches, a structural adaptation that defines its life form. It exhibits an evergreen deciduousness, ensuring that it retains its foliage throughout the year rather than shedding it seasonally.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Syzygium cumini is characterized by its growth form as a woody tree that functions as a self-supporting structure. This terrestrial species exhibits a significant vertical stature, with plant heights ranging from a minimum of 6 meters to a maximum of 20 meters, maintaining an average height of approximately 17.14 meters. As an independent organism, it does not exhibit parasitic behavior and grows as a terrestrial plant rather than an aquatic, semiaquatic, or epiphytic species. Its physical structure is robust and non-climbing, strictly adhering to a self-supporting growth habit.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

20 m

Plant height mean:

17.1428571428571 m

Plant height min:

6 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Syzygium cumini is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, indicating a metabolic process typical of plants in temperate or shaded environments that rely on the direct fixation of carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle. The plant lacks the ability to act as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on soil nutrient availability for its nitrogen requirements. Its vegetative structure features leaves that vary significantly in dimension, with a mean leaf length of approximately 9.67 cm (ranging from a minimum of 6 cm to a maximum of 19 cm) and a mean leaf width of 4.5 cm (ranging from a minimum of 2.5 cm to a maximum of 11 cm). These leaves do not exhibit succulence, suggesting a standard moisture-retention strategy rather than specialized water-storage tissue. Furthermore, the structural integrity of the plant is supported by a stem with a mean specific density (SSD) of 760 mg/cm³, reflecting its internal tissue density and mechanical properties.

Leaf length max:

19 cm

Leaf length mean:

9.66666666666667 cm

Leaf length min:

6 cm

Leaf width max:

11 cm

Leaf width mean:

4.5 cm

Leaf width min:

2.5 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Stem specific density (SSD) mean:

760 mg/cm³

Succulence :

no

Reproduction

The reproduction of Syzygium cumini is characterized by the production of white flowers that are primarily pollinated by bees. These flowers are arranged in inflorescences with lengths ranging from a minimum of 0.04 m to a maximum of 0.1 m. Following successful pollination, the plant develops fleshy, indehiscent berries as its fruit type. These fruits vary in size, with a mean length of 1.5 cm, a minimum of 1 cm, and a maximum of 3 cm. Each fruit typically contains between 1 and 10 seeds. The seeds themselves vary in physical dimensions, featuring a minimum length of 10 mm and a maximum length of 15 mm, with volumes ranging from a minimum of 84 mm³ to a mean of approximately 1508.89 mm³ and a maximum of 4200 mm³. In terms of mass, the seeds weigh between a minimum of 0.24 g and a maximum of 1.32 g, with an average seed mass of approximately 0.47 g. The dispersal of these seeds follows a zoochorous syndrome, specifically through endozoochory, where animals consume the fleshy fruit and disperse the seeds through their digestive tracts.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

zoochorous

Dispersal syndrome :

endozoochorous

Flower colour :

white

Fruit dryness :

fleshy

Fruit length max:

3 cm

Fruit length mean:

1.5 cm

Fruit length min:

1 cm

Fruit type :

berry

Inflorescence length max:

0.1 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.04 m

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Seed length max:

15 mm

Seed length min:

10 mm

Seed mass max:

1.32 g

Seed mass mean:

0.4745741665 g

Seed mass min:

0.24 g

Seed volume max:

4200 mm³

Seed volume mean:

1508.88888888889 mm³

Seed volume min:

84 mm³

Seeds_per_fruit :

1-10

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Syzygium cumini has 5 reported plant parts identified across 33 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include fruit, leaf, seed, flower, stem.

Fruit

1. TheScientificWorldJournal
2. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
3. PeerJ
4. Journal of complementary & integrative medicine
5. Journal of cancer research and therapeutics

Leaf

1. Toxicology letters
2. Open veterinary journal
3. Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis
4. Natural product research
5. Applied biochemistry and biotechnology

Seed

1. Biological trace element research
2. Journal of natural products
3. Die Pharmazie
4. Applied biochemistry and biotechnology
5. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Flower

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Stem

1. Natural product research

Chemicals

Syzygium cumini has 101 reported phytochemicals identified across 33 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Gallic acid, Flavonoids, ellagic acid, myricetin, polyphenols.

Gallic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. PeerJ
3. Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine
4. Journal of cancer research and therapeutics
5. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Flavonoids

1. TheScientificWorldJournal
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Natural product research
4. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology
5. Frontiers in pharmacology

ellagic acid

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR
2. PeerJ
3. Asian Pacific journal of tropical biomedicine
4. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Pharmaceutical biology

myricetin

1. Open veterinary journal
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Biomedical chromatography : BMC
4. Food & function
5. Frontiers in pharmacology

polyphenols

1. TheScientificWorldJournal
2. Biomedical chromatography : BMC
3. Food & function
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

quercetin

1. Journal of cancer research and therapeutics
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Biomedical chromatography : BMC
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Anthocyanins

1. Asian Pacific journal of tropical biomedicine
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP

CATECHIN

1. Biomedical chromatography : BMC
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Flavonoid

1. PeerJ
2. BioImpacts : BI
3. Narra J

IRON

1. Dr. Duke
2. TheScientificWorldJournal
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Activities

Syzygium cumini has 332 reported activities identified across 33 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Hypoglycemic, Anticancer, Antimicrobial.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. BMC complementary and alternative medicine
3. Current drug discovery technologies
4. PeerJ
5. Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. PeerJ
3. Asian Pacific journal of tropical biomedicine
4. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology

Hypoglycemic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences
3. BMC complementary and alternative medicine
4. Food & function
5. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of cancer research and therapeutics
3. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
5. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antimicrobial

1. Recent patents on anti-infective drug discovery
2. Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia
3. Open veterinary journal
4. IET nanobiotechnology
5. Cureus

Hypolipidemic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences
3. Food & function
4. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
5. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Food & function
3. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
4. Pharmaceutical nanotechnology

Antihyperglycemic

1. Frontiers in pharmacology
2. Methods and findings in experimental and clinical pharmacology
3. Indian journal of experimental biology

Antipyretic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Food & function

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Conditions

Syzygium cumini has 63 reported investigations on conditions identified across 33 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include antidiabetic, antioxidant, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, Bacillus subtilis.

Antidiabetic

1. Pharmaceutical biology
2. Pharmaceutical nanotechnology
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Antioxidant

1. BMC complementary and alternative medicine
2. Food & function
3. Pharmaceutical nanotechnology

Hyperlipidemia

1. Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences
2. Pharmacological research
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Type 2 diabetes

1. Pharmacognosy magazine
2. Die Pharmazie
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Bacillus subtilis

1. Recent patents on anti-infective drug discovery
2. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

1. Open veterinary journal
2. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Staphylococcus aureus

1. Open veterinary journal
2. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Vibrio cholerae

1. Recent patents on anti-infective drug discovery
2. Indian journal of pharmacology

Cancer

1. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
2. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

Diabetes mellitus

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Pharmaceutical biology

Preparations

Syzygium cumini has 41 reported preparations identified across 33 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include aqueous extracts, extract, extracts, methanolic extract, EJE.

Aqueous extracts

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

Extract

1. Recent patents on anti-infective drug discovery
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology

Methanolic extract

1. Bioinformation
2. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Eje

1. Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology

Etoh extract

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Leaf extract

1. Cureus

Sctf

1. Ayu

Syzygium cumini seed extract

1. Pharmaceutical nanotechnology

Syzygium jambolanum extracts

1. Current drug discovery technologies