Otaheite
Growing even before recorded history
The exact origin of Syzygium malaccense is uncertain, but pointing most likely to the rainforests of Malaysia, Java, and Sumatra. Carried by the Austronesian people when they traveled to new islands as a 'canoe plant' it is now cultivated and naturalized in many countries throughout the tropics.
Common names in different regions include: Malay rose apple or simply Malay apple (English); jambu merah (Malaysian, meaning "red guava"); jambu bol (Indonesian, meaning "ball guava"); Otaheite cashew; pommerac (from the French pomme Malac, meaning "Malaysian apple"); water apple; mountain apple; pomme d'amour ("love apple"); malacca; malaka; otaheite apple, rose apple and pomarrosa or plum rose.
