Syzygium australe (Brush Cherry)

Syzygium australe, with many common names that include brush cherry, scrub cherry, creek lilly-pilly, creek satinash, and watergum, is a rainforest tree native to eastern Australia. It can attain a height of up to 35m with a trunk diameter of 60cm.

The leaves are opposite, simple, lanceolate from 4–8cm long. Flowers are white and in clusters. The pink, elongated, edible fruits range from a size of 1.5-2.3cm long, and ripen mainly in summer and autumn. The fruit surrounds a small, circular seed. The flavour of the fruit is described as having a refreshing taste, and have a small hint of sourness to them.

This species is commonly confused with magenta cherry and the blue lilly pilly. However, the brush cherry has a paler trunk.

Brush cherry is commonly cultivated in gardens in Eastern Australia and New Zealand, mostly as shorter, shrub-like cultivars such as 'Aussie Boomer', :Aussie Compact', 'Birdsville', :Bush Christmas', 'Minipilly' and 'Tiny Trev'. These are especially popular as hedges.

The pleasantly sour fruit are also eaten fresh or cooked. The fruit can be used to make jams and jellies.