Eugenia reinwardtiana aka Cedar Bay Cherry

Eugenia reinwardtiana belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Its common names include beach cherry and Cedar Bay cherry. Its native range runs from Indonesia to the Pacific islands. This range also includes parts of northern Australia. Kew places its western limit at the Kangean Islands near Java. It grows in the wet tropics, beneath the rainforest canopy. Wild plants also grow on soils formed from limestone.

This evergreen plant forms a large shrub or small tree. The reported height range is 6.6–16.4 feet [2–5 metres]. Useful Tropical Plants also lists 13.1 feet [4 metres] as its height. These figures describe a woody plant of modest size. It keeps its leaves rather than shedding them each year. The supplied sources give no further leaf or bark details. They also give no crown width or growth rate.

The fruit provides the main reason to grow this species. People gather it from wild plants for local food. Gardeners also grow it in tropical and subtropical home gardens. Each fruit measures about 0.07 feet [0.02 metres] long. A thin skin covers a small amount of fleshy pulp. The pulp surrounds one seed and has a mild sweetness. One account notes a faint resin taste in the flesh. Another compares its juicy flavour with berries or grapes. People eat the fruit raw and use it in preserves. It also adds flavour to drinks and sweets.

Warm climates suit this species, including subtropical sites with little frost. Useful Tropical Plants reports brief cold tolerance down to −1°C. That does not establish tolerance of long or repeated freezes. Its rainforest habitat gives context, but not firm garden light needs. The supplied sources do not set watering or soil-pH targets. For propagation, sow seed when ripe, before it dries. Stored dry seed can also sprout, though germination takes time. The evidence gives no flowering season or pest guidance.

The hard wood has uses beyond the fruit crop. People use it as fuel and for coconut-husking stakes. In the past, they also made rice-pounding pestles from it. Useful Tropical Plants records no known medicinal use or hazards. That report does not confirm safety for pets or every plant part.