Woodland waterberry
Syzygium guineense · Myrtaceae family
This widespread African fruit comes with both a complicated taxonomy and conflicting flavor descriptions.
Find it near DetroitGet to know it
Woodland waterberry is a small fruit of African woodlands and stream banks, with shiny purplish-black skin and juicy flesh around a single seed. It hangs in bunches of 20 to 30 on a tall evergreen tree. In Sudan, the fruit is roasted and ground into meal.
What it is
The oval fruit measures about 1.2–3.5 cm (0.5–1.4 in) long and holds one seed. Its skin turns from whitish-green to shiny purplish-black as it ripens, and the ripe flesh is juicy. Some describe it as sweet and juicy, others as rather bland.
The plant is Syzygium guineense, in the myrtle family, also called water berry or water pear.
Where it comes from
Woodland waterberry is one of Africa's most widespread trees, growing from Senegal east to Somalia and south to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. It also grows in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It lives in lowland and mountain rain forests, swampy forests along rivers and open woodland, usually in moist places along streams.
How it's eaten where it grows
Children especially seek the fruit out, and in Ethiopia and Kenya it is sold at markets. Besides being eaten fresh, it is made into a drink and into vinegar, and added to spirits for flavour. In Sudan, the fruit is roasted and ground into a meal.
How it's grown
It is an evergreen tree, 15–30 m tall, that keeps to moist ground. Its creamy-white flowers are fragrant, and their many white stamens make a showy little brush; insects pollinate them. The leaves smell fragrant when crushed. In Ethiopia, the tree is grown as shade for coffee.
When and where you'll find it
In Yechereka, in Ethiopia's Guangua district, the fruit usually reaches its peak ripeness from late April to mid-May, and fruit dispersal follows, from the third week of May to late June. In Ethiopia and Kenya, the fruit is sold at local markets.
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What it tastes like
As mild as a peach, softer than a pear≈
More about the taste
Ripe fruit is juicy and pleasantly flavored, with a shiny purplish-black skin.
Ripe fruit is juicy and pleasantly flavored, with a shiny purplish-black skin.
Other accounts describe it as sweet and juicy; still others call it bland and little appreciated.
Choose, eat
1ChoosePurplish-black
Look for
- Purplish-black
As it ripens, the fruit changes from whitish-green to purplish-black.
2EatFruit
Eat
FruitIn Sudan, the fruit is roasted and ground into a meal. It is described anywhere from sweet and juicy to bland.
Detroit, Michigan
When it’s good hereUsual monthsJust arrivedAt their bestLast chanceAll yearWhere it is in its usual monthsToday, Oct 22Grown hereIn season in your stateShips fromIn season where it grows
7 names in 6 languages
- Dokmaroot
- رياعة غينيةArabic
Strange but trueWhere the name came fromCustoms and culture
If you like Woodland waterberry
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Woodland waterberry · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026