Botanical Name:Eugenia reinwardtiana
Family: Myrtaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Myrtales
Genus: Eugenia
Species: E. reinwardtiana
Synonyms:
*Eugenia carissoides F.Muell.
*Eugenia hypospodia F.Muell.
*Eugenia kangeanensis Valeton
Common Names: Cedar Bay Cherry, Mountain stopper, and Nioi (Hawaii), Beach cherry, Reinwardt’s cherry
Habitat: Cedar Bay Cherry is native to tropical forests in northern Queensland, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands.
The tree is particularly common around the Cedar Bay National Park in northern Australia and the edible fruit was especially popular with the hippies who lived there in the 1970s.
Description:
Cedar Bay cherry is an evergreen large shrub or small tree growing from 2 – 5 metres tall.
The edible fruit is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The plant is occasionally cultivated in home gardens in various parts of the tropics and subtropics.
Cultivation: Succeeds in the tropics and more or less frost-free areas in the subtropics. Plants can tolerate occasional low temperatures down to -1°c
Found in the wild on limestone soils.
Propagation:
It is readily propagated from fresh seed.
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe and before it dries out, though stored, dry seed will also germinate. Germination is slow.
Edible Uses:
Fruit eaten raw. The thin-skinned fruit has a thin, fleshy, slightly resinous pulp with a slightly sweet flavour surrounding a single seed. A juicy and flavourful pulp having a very pleasant, berry or grape-like flavour. It is used to flavour drinks, sweets, and preserves. The fruit is about 2cm long.
Medicinal Uses:
The fruit is a source of antioxidants.
Other Uses:
The wood is hard and makes excellent firewood. It is also used traditionally to make coconut husking stakes and was once used to make rice-pounding pestles
The tree is well-suited to amenity horticulture in the tropics, and is grown in the median strips in Cairns.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenia_reinwardtiana
http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Eugenia+reinwardtiana
