Syzygium australe

(Wendl. ex Link) B. Hyland

Creek satinash, Brush cherry

Myrtaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds 3,482 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Syzygium australe, with many common names that include brush cherry, scrub cherry, creek lilly-pilly, creek satinash, and watergum, is a rainforest tree native to eastern Australia. It can attain a height of up to 35 m with a trunk diameter of 60 cm. In cultivation, this species is usually a small to medium-sized tree with a maximum height of only 18m.

Description

A tree up to 10 m tall and a spread of 5 m. In warm rainforest areas it can grow to 30 m tall. It has a dense crown of leaves. The stem is erect and stout with spreading branches. The leaves are rounded and 9 cm long by 3 cm wide. They are shiny green on the upper surface and paler underneath. New growth is bronze/red. The flowers are small, fluffy and white or cream. They are produced in small clusters in the angles of the upper leaves. The fruit can be rounded or oval. They are pink to dark red in colour and 2 cm across. The fruit are edible. They contain 1 seed.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw or made into jellies. Crisp and juicy, its flavour ranges from delicious to mediocre. The reddish-pink to red, obovoid fruit measures about 15–25mm long and 15mm in diameter and contains a large seed.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten raw. It can be cooked. They can be used for jelly, syrups, preserves, or baked in pies and tarts. They are also used for drinks. The seeds can be roasted and eaten.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in coastal regions and rainforest areas in north and eastern Australia. They will grow on a variety of soils. They need to be well drained. It does best if soils are humus rich. They can be grown in temperate regions and can withstand moderate frost. It is damaged by drought. It can grow in slight shade or full sun. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. Adelaide Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. Arboretum Tasmania.

Where It Grows

Australia*, Canada, Hawaii, North America, Pacific, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

They are grown from seed. Seed are sown in autumn. Seed often germinate slowly and irregularly. Plants can also be grown from cuttings. Often a large number of the fruit are seedless.

Propagation

Seed is best sown fresh. Either the whole fruit can be sown or the seed separated from the flesh first. Germination usually takes 1–2 months but may be slow and spasmodic, especially if seed is not sown fresh. Cuttings of firm, current season's growth can also be taken.

Other Uses

The plant has a very dense growth habit and responds well to trimming, making it suitable as a hedge — the cultivar 'Brilliant' is particularly popular for this use. The reddish or yellowish wood is light, elastic and seasons well; it has been used for making oars, boat building, and was traditionally used to make boomerangs and shields. As with other Syzygium species, the heartwood is golden brown, greyish brown or brown with pink or purplish glints, not clearly demarcated from the 1–4cm wide sapwood band. The texture is fine, with slightly interlocked grain that is sometimes wavy or irregular, and resin deposits are present. The wood is heavy, moderately hard and somewhat durable — moderately resistant to fungi and termites but susceptible to dry wood borers. It seasons slowly with a high risk of checking and distortion, though once dry it is moderately stable in service. It works well with ordinary tools; nailing and screwing are good provided the wood is pre-bored; gluing is satisfactory. Uses include musical instruments, tool handles, furniture components, shipbuilding, heavy carpentry, flooring and joinery.

Production

In the southern hemisphere flowering is January to March and fruit are ripe from December to April. Plants produce in 3 years.

Synonyms

Eugenia australis Wendl. ex LinkEugenia myrtifolia SimsEugenia simmondsiae F. M. BaileyJambosa australis (Link) DC.Myrtus australis (Link) Spreng.

Also Known As

Creek cherry, Creek lilly Pilly, Galangara, Scrub cherry, Native myrtle

References (36)

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Caton, J.M. & Hardwick, R. J., 2016, Field Guide to Useful Native Plants from Temperate Australia. Harbour Publishing House. p 204

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