Waterberry (umdoni)
Syzygium cordatum
A streamside tree with purple, sharp-sweet berries for eating fresh, for jelly or for a home brew.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 30 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Harvest: May to September
From: Southern and eastern Africa
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, wildlife, pollinators.
Native to: Cape of South Africa, African savannas & tropics. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.
The story
The waterberry, umdoni in Zulu, grows wherever there is water close to the surface, and people have long read it as a sign of where to dig a well. Its wood lasts in water and was used for boats.
Planting
Sun and moist soil in a climate with little frost. It is at home on stream banks and pond edges.
Growing
Keep young trees watered. It grows quickly.
Harvest and use
Fluffy white flowers for bees, then purple berries in summer and autumn: sharp-sweet, eaten fresh or made into jelly and a fermented drink. Birds, monkeys and bats share them.
What to watch for
Frost when young. Fallen fruit stains paving.
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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home