Syzygium guineense subsp. guineense

Syzygium guineense subsp. guineense, the bushveld waterberry, is a small tree with a drooping habit that reaches 10 m to 15 m in height (SA Tree List No. 557).

The old trunks are brown, rough and scaly. Young branches have a four-angled shape. 

The simple, opposite leaves are elliptic to oblong, pale green above and dull below. They often appear to be drooping.

The white, sweetly scented flowers grow in large stem-tip heads. They have numerous, conspicuous, white stamens.

The fruits are ellipsoid and fleshy, becoming purple when ripe. They are eaten by birds, monkeys and people.

The bushveld waterberry, is one of four subspecies of S. guineense, one of two found growing naturally in South Africa. The other local one is subsp. barotsense found only in the far northeastern border area with Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The other two grow further in Africa.

The habitat of subsp. guineense is riverine forests and open woodland, often near water. The subspecies is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; http://redlist.sanbi.org).