蒲桃(原变种) pu tao (yuan bian zhong)

Eugenia jambos Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 470. 1753; E. jambos var. sylvatica Gagnepain; Jambosa jambos (Linnaeus) Millspaugh; J. vulgaris Candolle, nom. illeg. superfl.; Myrtus jambos (Linnaeus) Kunth; Syzygium jambos var. sylvaticum (Gagnepain) Merrill & L. M. Perry.

Branchlets terete. Petiole 6-8 mm; leaf blade lanceolate to oblong, 12-25 × 3-4.5 cm, leathery, secondary veins 12-16 on each side of midvein, 7-10 mm apart, and at an angle of ca. 45° from midvein, intramarginal veins ca. 2 mm from margin, base broadly cuneate, apex long acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, cymes, with several flowers; peduncle 1-1.5 cm. Flowers white, 3-4 cm in diam. Hypanthium obconic, 8-10 mm. Calyx lobes 4, semiorbicular, ca. 6 × 8-9 mm. Petals distinct, broadly ovate, ca. 1.4 cm. Stamens 2-2.8 cm; anthers ca. 1.5 mm. Style 2-2.8 cm. Fruit pale yellow when ripe, globose, 3-5 cm in diam. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. May-Jun.

Open mixed forests, riversides, river valleys; below 100 to 1500 m. Cultivated and sometimes escaped in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, and Yunnan [origin uncertain but possibly W Malesia and SE Asia].

This variety is often cultivated for its fruit throughout the tropics, so some gatherings may in fact not be from wild plants.