Synonym: | Myrtus cumini L. |
Family | Myrtaceae |
Local Names: | Njaval, Black plum, Jambol, Java plum |
Flowering and fruiting: December – April Distribution: Indo-Malaysia Habitat: Evergreen forests, also in the plains Uses: Fruits edible, timber yielding. The seeds and bark are well known for the treatment of dysentery and in the control of hyperglycaemia and glycosuria in diabetic patients. A coffee-like beverage is made from the dried and ground up seeds. Key Characters: Black plums are medium sized trees; bark white, light pink inside. Leaves ovate, oblong, long-acuminate at apex, acute at base; nerves many, close, shining above. Panicles to 10 cm across, on leafless branchlets. Flowers, subsessile; calyx tube, turbinate. Fruit is a Berry, obovoid, deep blue. |