Common name: mountain apple Hawaiian name: 'ohi'a ai Scientific name: syzygium malaccense Native status: introduced

Description : It belongs to the myrtle family. The trunk has a smooth spotted gray bark. The fruit begins to grow when the tree is seven or eight years old. When it grows alone it may be as small as a shrub . It has bright purple flowers. The skin of the fruit is deep crimson in color. The inside of the fruit is crisp and white. It has a round seed in the middle.

Uses: The Hawaiians ate a small amount of fruit . They also cut it up and saved it for later. They used the wood of the tree for the frame of their houses. They made medicine from the bark of the tree.

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