Rose Apple
Syzygium jambos
Also known as Pomme Rose, Malabar Plum
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, West Bengal, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- August-January
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Syzygium jambos
- Genus
- Syzygium
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Sikkim tarai
- Distribution
- Planted in Tropical Asia and Australia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Assam
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Typical of the Myrtaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Myrtaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- गुलाब जामुन Gulab jamun
- Nepali
- गुलाब जामुन Gulab jamun, गुलाब जामुन
- Bengali
- গোলপজাম Golapjam, গোলাপজাম
- Tamil
- Perunaval
- Telugu
- Gulabjama, Jambunaeredu, రోజ్ యాపిల్
- Kannada
- Jambu, Pannerale, ಪನ್ನೇರಳೆ
- Malayalam
- മലക്കാചമ്പാ Malakkachampa, പനിനീർ ചാമ്പ, Syzygium jambos
- Marathi
- जाम्ब Jamb, जाम्ब
- Sinhala
- වැලි ජම්බු
Rose Apple in India
This fruit tree, known as गुलाब जामुन Gulab jamun (Hindi), Perunaval (Tamil), Gulabjama (Telugu), Jambu (Kannada), മലക്കാചമ്പാ Malakkachampa (Malayalam), जाम्ब Jamb (Marathi), produces fruit with a distinctive rose-like fragrance. Syzygium jambos is found across Karnataka, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Assam, typically near water.
Uses
Its pale yellow, crisp fruit is eaten fresh for its delicate rose fragrance, and is also made into jams and preserves in some regions.
How to Identify Rose Apple
An evergreen tree with narrow, glossy, willow-like leaves. Flowers have a distinctive pom-pom of long, pale yellow-green stamens with barely visible petals, followed by round, pale yellow to pinkish fruit with a crisp, watery flesh and a strong rose-like scent.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Rose Apple called in different Indian languages?
- गुलाब जामुन Gulab jamun (Hindi); Perunaval (Tamil); Gulabjama (Telugu); Jambu (Kannada); മലക്കാചമ്പാ Malakkachampa (Malayalam); जाम्ब Jamb (Marathi); গোলপজাম Golapjam (Bengali).
- Is rose apple related to the dessert gulab jamun?
- No — despite a shared Hindi name (gulab jamun, meaning 'rose jamun'), the fruit of Syzygium jambos is unrelated to the fried milk-dough dessert of the same name.
- Why does the fruit smell like roses?
- It contains aromatic compounds similar to those in rose petals, giving the crisp, mild-tasting flesh its distinctive rose-like fragrance.
Myrtaceae
Myrtle/Eucalyptus family
Rose Apple belongs to the Myrtaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Myrtaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Rose Apple or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Myrtaceae
View all Myrtaceae →Sources: GBIF — Syzygium jambos (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Syzygium jambos (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)