5-605: About 1100; see List of Syzygium species Syzygium ( / s ɪ ˈ z ɪ dʒ iː ə m / ) is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae . The genus comprises about 1200 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific . Its highest levels of diversity occur from Malaysia to northeastern Australia , where many species are very poorly known and many more have not been described taxonomically. One indication of this diversity
10-528: Is in leaf size, ranging from as little as a half inch (one cm) to as great as 4 ft 11 inches (1.5 meters) by sixteen inches (38 centimeters) in Syzygium acre of New Caledonia. Most species are evergreen trees and shrubs . Several species are grown as ornamental plants for their attractive glossy foliage, and a few produce edible fruits called roseapples that are eaten fresh or used in jams and jellies. The most economically important species, however,
15-483: Is the clove Syzygium aromaticum , of which the unopened flower buds are an important spice . Some of the edible species of Syzygium are planted throughout the tropics worldwide, and several have become invasive species in some island ecosystems. Fifty-two species are found in Australia and are generally known as lillipillies , brush cherries or satinash . At times Syzygium was confused taxonomically with
20-451: The Greek word syzygia , meaning "joining together or conjunction". Selected species include: Returned to this genus List of Syzygium species Syzygium is a large, broadly distributed genus of flowering trees, shrubs, and subshrubs in the myrtle family Myrtaceae . The following is an alphabetical list of all 1197 species in the genus that are accepted by Plants of
25-471: The genus Eugenia (c. 1000 species), but the latter genus has its highest specific diversity in the neotropics . Many species formerly classed as Eugenia are now included in the genus Syzygium , although the former name may persist in horticulture. The Syzygium Working Group, an international group of researchers, formed in April 2016 with the aim to produce a monograph of Syzygium . The term comes from
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