Eugenia jambolana Lam.

Eugenia jambolana Lam. Family

Myrtaceae

Eugenia jambolana Lam. English Name

Java Plum, Black plum, Malabar plum

Eugenia jambolana Lam. Local Name

Jaman or Jamun

Eugenia jambolana Lam. Description

This plant is an evergreen tropical tree. It is rapidly growing specie; it can reach up to height of 30m and it can live and bloom for more than a century. Its thick and heavy foliage provides shade. The bark is dark grey and rough from the base and much smoother and light grey from above. The wood becomes water resistant after being dried, due to this property; it is used in railway sleepers and to install motors in wells. The leaves which have an aroma similar to turpentine, are pinkish when young, changing to a leathery, glossy dark green with a yellow midrib as they mature. The leaves are used as food for livestock, as they have good nutritional value. The flowers are small and about 5mm in diameter. The fruits develop by the month May and look like large berries. The fruit is ovoid and oblong. Colour of mature fruit pink. The fruit has a combination of sour and sweet.

Eugenia jambolana Lam. Distribution

This Plant can be found widely in the Asian sub-continent (Pakistan, India and Bangladesh) and other tropical regions of the world including Madagascar and South America. In the United States, it is found in Hawaii and Florida.

Eugenia jambolana Lam. Uses

It has both edible and medicinal uses. Both the fruit pulp and seed extracts of this plant have a long history of medicinal use and they have been extensively studied for their anti-diabetic properties. It is also used by mouth for gas (flatulence), inflammation of the stomach, diarrhoea, constipation, and many other conditions. Sometimes it is also used for sore throat and applied straight to the skin for skin problems.

(Baliga et al., 2011; Li, et al., 2009)