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Syzygium smithii
Also called Monkey Apple, Lilly Pilly Tree
Lilly Pilly (Syzygium smithii) is a native Australian evergreen tree grown as a specimen, hedge or clipped shrub, valued for glossy leaves, pink new growth and edible berries. It is adaptable to sun or shade and grows well in most garden soils with regular water while young.
Syzygium smithii (formerly Acmena smithii) is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree native to Australia that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "lilly pilly" with several other plants. It is planted as shrubs or hedgerows, and features: rough, woody bark; cream and green smooth, waxy leaves; flushes of pink new growth; and white to maroon edible berries. Unpruned, it will grow about 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft) tall in the garden.
The species was introduced into cultivation as Eugenia elliptica at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew by Sir Joseph Banks in 1790.
Syzygium smithii is widely grown in cultivation as a specimen tree. Noted American landscape architect Thomas Church used the species in gardens that he created in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1950s. These were often clipped to shape. The species has also been used as a subject for bonsai.
Syzygium smithii is found in rainforest from the Windsor Tablelands in north-east Queensland south through New South Wales and Victoria to Wilsons Promontory.
Botanist Joseph Maiden wrote in 1889 that "The fruits are eaten by the aboriginals, small boys, and birds. They are formed in profusion, are acidulous, and wholesome. They are white with a purplish tint, and up to one inch in diameter." The mildly acidic fruit have been described as somewhat lacking in taste.
Syzygium glaucum · Anise Myrtle · Syzygium antisepticum · Watery roseapple · Clove · Scrub cherry · Boxleaf Eugenia · Syzygium cerasiforme · Syzygium conglomeratum · Bumpy satinash · Java plum · Weeping Myrtle
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Syzygium smithii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
