Waterberry tree

I don’t think there is a single Kenyan artist who has encountered the Mukoe fruit, as we explore the banks of the Burguret, who hasn’t exclaimed, “Mmmmm! Zambarau! Tamu sana,” and grabbed a handful of the glistening purple fruit and stuffed them in their mouths.

Although the Mukoe of the Mt. Kenya forests is not the same species as the Syzygium cuminii (or Java Plum – Zamburau or Jambula) which were freely planted in towns and villages in East Africa in the early 20th century, they are very similar, and are certainly delicious, if you catch them fully ripe before the birds have had a go at them, that is.

The Mukoe is one of the great delights of the Karichota forest area, always green and healthy looking, covered in fluffy white flowers for a good part of the year, host to many pollinating butterflies, moths and other insects, as well of many of our beloved orchid species. But, as it likes to have its roots in water, you will only find them on the banks of the Karichota Stream and the Burguret River.

The only thing that seems to trouble the tree is a black “rust” which sometimes appears on the leaves, then disappears with the rain. Can anyone tell me what this might be and what causes it?

The fruit is drupaceous (look that up, dear reader) like coffee, mangoes, olives, dates, apricots, cherries, and plums. Its only drawbacks are is that it can be sticky and leave your mouth stained purple.

The Zambarau (Jambula) Tree is part of the sacred canon of Hinduism (being one of the symbols of Krishna) and crops up regularly African literature, most remarkably as the chief symbol in Monica Arac de Nyeko’s 2007 Caine Prize-winning short story, "Under The Jambula Tree". Monica’s story formed the basis for the 2018 movie, Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu and famously banned by the Kenyan Government for its portrayal of same-sex love. In the story, set in the in the Nakawa section of Kampala, the tree is the place of secrecy and delight, and the source of all that is delicious.

You can purchase this story as part of the Caine prize collection “Jambula Tree: And Other Stories” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jambula-Tree-other-stories-Collection/dp/1904456731 

Mukoe is a tree which has been widely used in traditional medicine, as an emetic, for setting broken bones and “a decoction of the twigs and leaves is drunk or used as an enema for its purgative properties and against colic, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. It is also used as drink or bath against insanity, amenorrhoea and cerebral malaria.” (tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Syzygium+guineense) This site also reports some deaths from using the bark, so caution is advised, as with the Poison arrow or Morijio Tree.