The Waterpear (Syzygium guineense) o Dokma (dok’ma) in Amharic, also called Waterberry, Snake Bean tree or Waterboom, is a tree native to Africa that can also be found in Ethiopia.
It’s a big tree that can reach between 15 to 30 meters in height and that usually grows near rivers since it prefers moist soils.
The flowers of this tree look very similar to the ones of the Eucaliptus since both trees belong to the Myrtaceae family.
The Waterpear is used for poles, as firewood, to make furniture and tools. Its fruit is edible, and the flowers attract bees. The bark, roots and leaves are used in medicine and in dyes.
It is a tree that is used as refuge and shade and also as a decorative plant in gardens.
Children like very much its fruit that should be picked up before falling or immediately after since it’s spoils fast.
The fruit is refreshing and is used for beverages an in medicine is used to treat dysentery.

The forest of the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia, between the 2,300 to 2,700 meters is dominated by this tree of thick and perennial foliage.

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