the rose apple ("syzygium jambos") is a type of apple found in 1762. it is related to the guava, is native to the east indies and malaya. the rose apple is cultivated and naturalized in many parts of india, southeast asia, and the pacific islands. later, it was introduced to jamaica and became well distributed in the west indies and at low elevations, from southern mexico to peru. in 1825, eight young trees were taken from rio de janeiro to hawaii by ship. in 1853, a united states warship delivered avocado and rose apple trees from central america to the island of hilo. the rose apple became further naturalized on the islands of kauai, molokai, oahu, maui and hawaii.