Brush-cherry or magenta lilly pilly or magenta cherry
Syzygium paniculatum
Myrtle family (Myrtaceae)
White brushes and purple cherries
The brush cherry is grown mostly as a pot plant in the Netherlands as it needs to be brought inside during the winter. The glossy green leaves have a textured pattern. The new leaves are red at first contrasting with the other green leaves.
In late spring it begins flowering with cream-coloured, brush-shaped flowers. These clusters of flowers are in fact white stamens each bearing a yellow tip. It flowers throughout the summer after which reddish-purple, edible fruits appear.
The genus name Syzygium is Greek meaning 'combined under one yoke’ and refers to the cap of fused flower petals.
Themes
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Crown jewel in the Zuidas Botanic Garden.
The fruits are edible and often made into jam.
Details
| Description: | Tree, up to a height of 15 m with trunk diameter up to 35 cm. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | Australia |
| Habitat: | In most of the temperate and subtropical climates; prefers rich, permanently damp soils. |
| Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic evergreen) |
| Hardiness: | 23 - 34 f (half-hardy - unheated glasshouse/mild winter) |
| Flowering period: | September |
| Flower color: | White |
| Fruit color: | Pink, salmon, purple, white, cerise |
| Notes on fruits: | The fruit is usually magenta but can be white, pink or purple |