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  4. Syzygium smithii

Syzygium smithii

Syzygium smithii.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Syzygium smithii.<br>Photographer: Richard Hursthouse, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Syzygium smithii.<br>Photographer: Richard Hursthouse, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Syzygium smithii.<br>Photographer: Richard Hursthouse, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Wanganui. Dec 2008.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Wanganui. Dec 2008.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Wanganui. Dec 2008.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Wanganui. Aug 2002.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Syzygium smithii.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Kauri Glen, Northcote, Auckland. Jul 2006.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Kauri Glen, Northcote, Auckland. Jul 2006.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Kauri Glen, Northcote, Auckland. Jul 2006.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt. Jun 2011.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
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Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt. Jun 2011.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Members can view this photo in high resolution
Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt. Jun 2011.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Members can view this photo in high resolution
Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt. Jun 2011.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Members can view this photo in high resolution
Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt. Jun 2011.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Members can view this photo in high resolution
Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt. Jun 2011.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Members can view this photo in high resolution
Thorndon, Wellington.<br>Photographer: Clayson Howell, Licence: All rights reserved.
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Coromandel.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
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Coromadel.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
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Common name

Lilly pilly, monkey apple

Synonyms

Acmena smithii, Eugenia smithii

Family

Myrtaceae

Authority

Syzygium smithii (Poir.) Nied.

Flora category

Vascular – Exotic

Structural class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

SYZSMI

Conservation status

Not assessed

Habitat

Terrestrial.

Features

Tree (6-15 m high in cultivation). Lvs very aromatic when crushed; petiole usually c. 5mm long. Lamina 4-12-(15) x 2-5-(8) cm, ovate or elliptic-ovate, coriaceous, glossy above, dotted with glands below; veins parallel and prominent below; base cuneate or narrow-cuneate; apex obtusely cuspidate or acuminate. Fls shortly pedicellate. Hypanthium (including pseudopedicel) 3-5 mm long; calyx lobes 4, deciduous. Petals 4, c. 2mm long, forming a small calyptrum, whitish. Stamens to c.3mm long whitish. Fr. subglobose to broad-oblong or obovoid, often slightly flattened, usually 1-1.7-(3) cm diam., pinkish mauve or white, with apical cavity. Seed large. (Webb et. al. 1988).

Similar taxa

Tree (6-15m high in cultivation); leaves very aromatic when crushed, 4-12cm long x 2-5cm wide, glossy above, dotted with glands below, veins parallel and prominent below; petals whitish, about 2mm long; fruit broad-oblong or ovoid, often slightly flattened, usually 1-1.7cm diameter, pinkish mauve or white; large seed (Webb et al., 1988).

Flowering

October, November, December, January

Flower colours

Cream, White

Year naturalised

1982

Origin

E. Australia - was, until recently, known as Acmena smithii

Etymology

syzygium: From the Greek syzygos ‘joined’, referring to the paired leaves

smithii: James Edward Smith (1757-1858), who gave it the illegitimate homonymous name Eugenia elliptica

Reason For Introduction

Ornamental.

Life Cycle Comments

Perennial. Long-lived plant.

Dispersal

Birds, dispersed by kereru from townships, farms and orchard hedges (DoC, 1996).

Tolerances

Able to establish in existing forest under low light conditions (DoC, 1996)

References and further reading

Gardner, R. 2009. Monkey-apples: the fruit and seed of two Syzygium spp. (Myrtaceae). Auckland Botanical Society Journal, 64(1): 75-76

Syzygium smithii - Wikipedia

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