Syzygium cordatum

Syzygium cordatum, commonly known as the waterberry or umdoni (isiZulu), is a medium-sized tree reaching heights from 8 m to 15 m (SA Tree List No. 555). It has grey or brown bark that becomes rough, corky and fissured on old stems. The young branchlets are four-angled.

The leaves are opposite, clustered towards the branch ends with short or no petioles. They vary in shape, often elliptic to nearly round or ovate. Young leaves are reddish, blue-green above when mature and leathery. The midrib and lateral veins are visible.

The flowers are creamy white to pink in dense heads, growing at the branch ends. The stamens dominate the fragrant flowers’ appearance. Blooming continues throughout the year apart from midwinter. The fruit is ovoid and fleshy, changing colour a few times until becoming purple when ripe.

The species distribution is in the east and north of South Africa, coastal in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, across the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Lowveld and lower elevation northerly regions, as well as widespread in Africa.

The habitat is coastal and inland, mostly near water and watercourses in thickets and forests, common in marshy areas. The tree is sometimes invasive, to some extent in parts of the Western Cape. The habitat population is considered of least concern early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).