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Salam (Syzygium polyanthum)

Dlium Salam (Syzygium polyanthum)

Salam (Syzygium polyanthum) is a plant species in the Myrtaceae family. It is a medium-sized tree that can reach a height of 30 meters, with a trunk diameter of up to 60 cm; the bark is brownish-gray, fissured, and scaly. The leaves are simple and arranged in opposite pairs, with petioles measuring 12 mm. The leaf blades are oblong, narrowly elliptic, or lanceolate, ranging from 5–16 cm in length and 2.5–7 cm in width; they are glabrous (smooth/hairless) and feature 6–11 pairs of secondary veins.

S. polyanthum produces inflorescences in the form of panicles containing numerous flower buds, spanning 2–8 cm; these emerge below the leaves or, occasionally, from the leaf axils. The flowers are small, fragrant, and tetramerous (having parts in multiples of four). The calyx is cup-shaped and approximately 4 mm long, while the petals are distinct (free), white, and measure 2.5–3.5 mm.

There are numerous stamens, each about 3 mm long, arranged in four clusters; they are deciduous (fall off easily). The central disc is somewhat square-shaped and yellowish-orange. The fruit is rounded or slightly compressed, measuring 12 mm, topped with persistent calyx lobes, and turns from red to a dark, purplish-black when ripe.

This tree grows in primary and secondary forests at elevations ranging from 0 to 1,300 meters, in areas with an annual rainfall of 3,000–4,000 mm and dark latosol soil. The leaves are harvested when they are dark green, then wilted at a temperature of 27°C, with frequent turning over a period of three days.

The leaves are used as a culinary spice to add fragrance to meat, fish, vegetable, and rice dishes. They are added—either whole, dried, or fresh—and cooked along with the food. This spice imparts a distinctive, yet subtle, herbal aroma.

The wood is reddish-orange-brown and of medium quality; it is used for construction and the manufacture of household furniture. The bark contains tannins used for dyeing and preserving fishing nets and bamboo woven goods. Both the bark and the leaves are commonly used in traditional herbal remedies to treat stomach aches. The fruit is edible.

Dried leaves contain 0.17% essential oil, with eugenol and methyl chavicol as key components. An ethanol extract of the leaves exhibits antifungal and antibacterial properties, while a methanol extract acts as an anthelmintic (anti-parasitic worm agent), specifically against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. The chemical constituents include essential oils, tannins, and flavonoids.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Tribe: Syzygieae
Genus: Syzygium Gaertn. in Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 166 (1788)
Species: Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp. in Repert. Bot. Syst. 2: 180 (1843)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Eugenia polyantha Wight in Ill. Ind. Bot. 2: 17 (1841)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Eugenia atropunctata C.B.Rob. in Philipp. J. Sci., C 4: 385 (1909)
Eugenia holmanii Elmer in Leafl. Philipp. Bot. 7: 2354 (1914)
Eugenia junghuhniana Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind. 1(1): 441 (1855)
Eugenia lambii Elmer in Leafl. Philipp. Bot. 4: 1430 (1912)
Eugenia lucidula Miq. (1855)
Eugenia microbotrya Miq. in Nieuwe Verh. Eerste Kl. Kon. Ned. Inst. Wetensch. Amsterdam, ser. 3, 3: 27 (1850)
Eugenia nitida Duthie in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 2: 496 (1878)
Eugenia pamatensis Miq. (1850)
Eugenia polyantha var. sessilis M.R.Hend. in Gard. Bull. Singapore 12: 212 (1949)
Eugenia resinosa Gagnep. in Notul. Syst. (Paris) 3: 331 (1918)
Myrtus cymosa Blume in Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 1086 (1826)
Syzygium cymosum Korth. in Ned. Kruidk. Arch. 1: 202 (1847)
Syzygium micranthum Blume ex Miq. (1850)
Syzygium microbotryum (Miq.) Masam. in Enum. Phanerog. Born.: 534 (1942)
Syzygium pamatense (Miq.) Masam. (1942)
Syzygium polyanthum var. sessile (M.R.Hend.) I.M.Turner in J. Singapore Natl. Acad. Sci. 22-24: 23 (1997)

PUBLICATIONS

Beaman, J.H. & Anderson, C. (2004). The Plants of Mount Kinabalu 5: 1-609. Natural history publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Girmansyah, D. & al. (eds.) (2013). Flora of Bali an annotated checklist: 1-158. Herbarium Bogorensis, Indonesia.

Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Govaerts, R., Sobral, N., Ashton, P., Barrie, F., Holst, B.K., Landrum, L.L., Matsumoto, K., Fernanda Mazine, F., Nic Lughadha, E., Proença, C. & al. (2008). World Checklist of Myrtaceae: 1-455. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

National Parks Board Singapore (2006). Vascular Plant Life Checklist Pulau Ubin www.nparks.gov.sg/nparks_cms/cms/cmsmgr/data/6/PlantChkList.xls.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Soh, W.K. & Parnell, J. (2015). A revision of Syzygium Gaertn. (Myrtaceae) in Indochina (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam). Adansonia, sér. 3, 37: 179-275.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 多花番樱桃 - 沙冷果树
Chinese (traditional): 多花番櫻桃 - 多花蒲桃 - 沙冷果樹
English: Salam, Daun salam, Indonesian bay leaf, Indonesian laurel
Indonesia: Salam
Java: Salam, Manting
Kangean: Kastolam
Khmer: ព្រីង ស្រទប Pring srâtoab
Lombok: Joet
Madura: Salam
Malaysia: Samak, Kelat samak, Serah
Melayu: Ubar serai
Russian: Сизигиум многоцветковый
Sumatera: Ubar serai, Meselengan
Sunda: Salam
Thai: ด็อกแมรอ - แด็งกลูไอ - มัก Dokmaeo, Daengkluai, Mak

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
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