Guava - Revision history

Raffi at 18:40, 14 April 2011

2011-04-14T18:40:29Z

Raffi at 17:24, 5 October 2009

2009-10-05T17:24:07Z

Raffi at 18:48, 17 September 2009

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Christi at 09:38, 17 September 2009

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Raffi at 04:33, 14 April 2007

2007-04-14T04:33:55Z

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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Guava
| image = Psidium guajava.jpg
| image_width = 1px
| image_caption = Apple Guava ''Psidium guajava'' <br/>fruit and leaves
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Myrtales]]
| familia = [[Myrtaceae]]
| genus = '''''Psidium'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
About 100 species, see text.
}}

'''Guava''' (from [[Arawak]] via [[Spanish language|Spanish]], '''Guayaba''') is a genus of about 100 species of [[tropical]] [[shrub]]s and small [[tree]]s in the myrtle family [[Myrtaceae]], native to [[Mexico]], the [[Caribbean]], [[Central America]] and northern [[South America]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are opposite, simple, elliptic to ovate, 5-15 cm long. The [[flower]]s are white, with five petals and numerous stamens. ''Psidium'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including ''[[Eupseudosoma|Eupseudosoma aberrans]]'', [[Eupseudosoma|Snowy Eupseudosoma]] and ''[[Hypercompe|Hypercompe icasia]]''.

[[Image:Psidium cattleianum.jpg|left|thumb|Strawberry Guava ''Psidium cattleianum'']]
The [[fruit]] is edible, round to [[pear]]-shaped, from 3-10 cm in diameter (to 12 cm in some selected [[cultivar]]s). It has a thin delicate rind, pale green to yellow at maturity in some species, pink to red in others, a creamy white or orange-salmon flesh with many small hard seeds, and a strong, characteristic aroma. It is rich in vitamins [[vitamin A|A]], [[vitamin B|B]], and [[vitamin C|C]] (a guava fruit contains more vitamin C than a typical citrus fruit – the rind contains over five times more vitamin C than an orange). It also contains high amounts of calcium – which is unusual in a fruit.

===Cultivation and uses===
Guavas are cultivated in many tropical and subtropical countries for their edible fruit. Several species are grown commercially; those listed below are the most important. The fruit is commonly eaten whole, but is often prepared in a variety of ways as a dessert. In Asia, fresh raw guava is often dipped in preserved [[plum|prune]] powder or salt. Boiled guava is also extensively used to make candies, preserves, jellies, jams, marmalades (''[[goiabada]]''), and juices. In Asia, a tea is made from guava fruits and leaves. In [[Egypt]], guava [[juice]] is popular.

The whole fruit is edible, from seeds to rind, but many people choose to cut out the seeds and the middle of the guava. The guava flesh is sweet (the middle part with the seeds is sweetest), and the rind is slightly bitter tasting.

Guava leaves are used for medicinal purposes, as a remedy for [[diarrhea]][http://www.icddrb.org:8080/images/jhpn222_healthcare-use.pdf], and for their supposed antimicrobial properties. The same anti-diarrheal substances which are useful in folk medicine may also cause constipation in the case of consumption of large amounts of guava fruits. In [[Cuba]] their leaves are also used in barbecues providing a nice smoked flavor and scent to the meat. In recent studies, Guava is believed to have sugar lowering properties to help diabetics lower their sugar count. While testing is not fully conclusive, results have been promising as a natural means to help diabetics combat high sugar.

Mature trees are not frost-sensitive and can survive as low as 5°C for short periods of time, but younger plants will not survive. They are known to survive in Northern Pakistan where they can get down to 5°C or lower during the night. In several tropical regions, including [[Hawaii]], some species have become [[invasive species|invasive weed]] shrubs. Guava are also of interest to home growers in temperate areas, being one of the very few tropical fruits that can be grown to fruiting size in pots indoors.

Red guavas can be used as the base of salted products such as sauces, constituting a substitute for tomatoes, especially for those who suffer from the latter's acidity.

'''Selected species'''
*''[[Psidium australe]]'' [[Cambess.]]
*''[[Psidium cattleianum]]'' - Strawberry Guava, Peruvian Guava.
*''[[Psidium cinereum]]'' [[Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius|Mart.]]
*''[[Psidium friedrichsthalium]]'' - Costa Rica Guava, Cas Guava
*''[[Psidium galapageium]]'' Galápagos Guava
*''[[Psidium guajava]]'' - Apple Guava
*''[[Psidium guineense]]'' - Guinea Guava
*''[[Psidium incanescens]]'' [[Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius|Mart.]]
*''[[Psidium littorale]]'' - Cattley Guava
*''[[Psidium montanum]]'' - Mountain Guava

<gallery>
Image:Ripe guava.jpg|Ripe guava fruit
Image:ARS_HPSI41.jpg|'Thai Maroon' guava
Image:Psidium guajava fruit.jpg|Green guava fruit
Image:Guava_bangalore.jpg|Ripe Guava
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Feijoa]] (''Feijoa sellowiana'')
* [[List of fruits]]

==External links==
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/guava.html Fruits of Warm Climates: Guava]
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/guava.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Tropical Guava Fruit Facts]
* [http://www.twowests.co.uk/weblog/archives/2006/10/guava_fruit.html Health Benefits of Guava Fruit]

[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Invasive species]]
[[Category:Myrtaceae]]
[[Category:Tropical agriculture]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
+{{SPlantbox
-| name = ''Psidium''
+|familia=Myrtaceae
-| common_names = Guava, Tropical Guava
+|genus=Psidium
-| growth_habit = evergreen shrubs/small trees{{SSN}}
+|common_name=Guava, Tropical Guava
-| high = ?   <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->
+|habit=shrub
-| wide =     <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->
+|origin=Mexico, C America
-| origin = Mexico thru C America
+|lifespan=perennial
-| poisonous =     <!--- indicate parts of plants which are known/thought to be poisonous -->
+|exposure=sun
-| lifespan =     <!--- perennial, annual, etc -->
+|sun_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
-| exposure = full sun, high-shade{{SSN}}
+|water=moderate
-| water = moderate{{SSN}}
+|water_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
-| features = fruit{{SSN}}
+|features=edible, fruit
-| hardiness =     <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->
+|Temp Metric=°F
-| bloom =     <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
+|sunset_zones=varies by species
-| usda_zones = ?   <!--- eg. 8-11 -->
+|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
-| sunset_zones = varies by species{{SSN}}
+|image=Psidium guajava.jpg
-| color = IndianRed
+|image_width=240
-| image = Psidium guajava.jpg
+|image_caption=Apple Guava ''Psidium guajava''
 }}
 '''Adaptation''': The tropical guava is best adapted to the warm climate of Florida and Hawaii, although it can be grown in coastal Southern California, and with some protection, selected areas north to Mendocino County. Guavas actually thrive in both humid and dry climates, but can survive only a few degrees of frost. The tree will recover from a brief exposure to 29° F but may be completely defoliated. Young trees are particularly sensitive to cold spells. Older trees, killed to the ground, have sent up new shoots which fruited 2 years later. Guavas can take considerable neglect, withstanding temporary waterlogging and very high temperatures. They tend to bear fruit better in areas with a definite winter or cooler season. The adaptability of the guava makes it a serious weed tree in some tropical areas. The smaller guava cultivars can make an excellent container specimen.
@@ Line 40: / Line 29: @@
 '''Fruits''': Guava fruits may be round, ovoid or pear-shaped, 2 - 4 inches long, and have 4 or 5 protruding floral remnants (sepals) at the apex. Varieties differ widely in flavor and seediness. The better varieties are soft when ripe, creamy in texture with a rind that softens to be fully edible. The flesh may be white, pink, yellow, or red. The sweet, musky odor is pungent and penetrating. The seeds are numerous but small and, in good varieties, fully edible. Actual seed counts have ranged from 112 to 535. The quality of the fruit of guavas grown in cooler areas is often disappointing.
 {{Inc|
 Guava. The name guava is applied to the fruit of various species of Psidium, frequently with the addition of a qualifying word such as apple, pear, Cattley, to distinguish different species and varieties. In Spanish it is guayaba, in Portuguese goiaba. and in French goyave (the plant goyavier). In Brazil the name araca, with qualifying words, is applied to a number of wild species.
@@ Line 113: / Line 103: @@
 * ''[[Psidium australe]]'' <small>[[Cambess.]]</small>
 * ''[[Psidium cinereum]]''
-* ''[[Psidium dumetorum]]'' &ndash; [[Jamaican Guava]] ([[extinct]]: late 1970s)
+* ''[[Psidium dumetorum]]'' – [[Jamaican Guava]] ([[extinct]]: late 1970s)
 * ''[[Psidium firmum]]'' <small>[[Otto Karl Berg|O.Berg]]</small>
-* ''[[Psidium friedrichsthalium]]'' &ndash; [[Cas Guava]], [[Costa Rica Guava]], ''"[[arrayán]]"'' ([[El Salvador]])
+* ''[[Psidium friedrichsthalium]]'' – [[Cas Guava]], [[Costa Rica Guava]], ''"[[arrayán]]"'' ([[El Salvador]])
-* ''[[Psidium galapageium]]'' &ndash; [[Galápagos Guava]]
+* ''[[Psidium galapageium]]'' – [[Galápagos Guava]]
-* ''[[Psidium guajava]]'' &ndash; [[Apple Guava]], Common Guava
+* ''[[Psidium guajava]]'' – [[Apple Guava]], Common Guava
-* ''[[Psidium guineense]]'' <small>Sw.</small> &ndash; [[Guinea Guava]]<!-- OrnitolColomb3:7. -->
+* ''[[Psidium guineense]]'' <small>Sw.</small> – [[Guinea Guava]]<!-- OrnitolColomb3:7. -->
 * ''[[Psidium harrisianum]]''
 * ''[[Psidium havanense]]''
 * ''[[Psidium incanescens]]'' <small>[[Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius|Mart.]]</small>
 {{col-2-of-2}}
-* ''[[Psidium littorale]]'' &ndash; [[Cattley Guava]], Peruvian Guava, ''"[[arazá]]"'' ([[Colombia]]), "Chinese guava" (as [[invasive species]])
+* ''[[Psidium littorale]]'' – [[Cattley Guava]], Peruvian Guava, ''"[[arazá]]"'' ([[Colombia]]), "Chinese guava" (as [[invasive species]])
-** ''Psidium littorale'' var. ''cattleianum'' &ndash; Strawberry Guava
+** ''Psidium littorale'' var. ''cattleianum'' – Strawberry Guava
-** ''Psidium littorale'' var. ''littorale'' &ndash; Lemon Guava, ''waiawī'' ([[Hawaiian language|Hawaiʻi]])
+** ''Psidium littorale'' var. ''littorale'' – Lemon Guava, ''waiawī'' ([[Hawaiian language|Hawaiʻi]])
-* ''[[Psidium montanum]]'' &ndash; [[Mountain Guava]]
+* ''[[Psidium montanum]]'' – [[Mountain Guava]]
 * ''[[Psidium pedicellatum]]''
 * ''[[Psidium robustum]]'' <small>O.Berg</small>
 * ''[[Psidium rostratum]]''
-* ''[[Psidium sartorianum]]'' &ndash; [[Sartre Guava]], ''"[[arrayán]]"'' ([[Mexico]]), ''[[guyabita del Peru]]'' ([[Panama]], [[Costa Rica]])
+* ''[[Psidium sartorianum]]'' – [[Sartre Guava]], ''"[[arrayán]]"'' ([[Mexico]]), ''[[guyabita del Peru]]'' ([[Panama]], [[Costa Rica]])
-* ''[[Psidium sintenisii]]'' &ndash; ''[[hoja menuda]]''
+* ''[[Psidium sintenisii]]'' – ''[[hoja menuda]]''
 * ''[[Psidium socorrense]]''
 * ''[[Psidium spathulatum]]'' <small>Mattos</small>
@@ Line 160: / Line 150: @@
 *{{wplink}}
-{{stub}}
+__NOTOC__

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 In California P. guajava frequently suffers from the attacks of the black scale (Saissetia oleae), which must be kept in check by fumigation or spraying. In other countries this plant seems remarkably free from insect pests or fungous diseases, and this is true also of the Cattley guava. The fruits are sometimes injured by the Mediterranean fruit-fly, and a scab has been observed in Brazil which affects them prejudicially. As a rule, however, the plants require little attention.
 {{SCH}} }}
 ==Cultivation==
 [[Image:Psidium cattleianum.jpg|thumb|Strawberry Guava ''Psidium cattleianum'']]

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 | cultivar =
 }}
 Guava. The name guava is applied to the fruit of various species of Psidium, frequently with the addition of a qualifying word such as apple, pear, Cattley, to distinguish different species and varieties. In Spanish it is guayaba, in Portuguese goiaba. and in French goyave (the plant goyavier). In Brazil the name araca, with qualifying words, is applied to a number of wild species.
@@ Line 47: / Line 59: @@
 The culture of the guavas presents few difficulties. Nearly all species succeed on a variety of soils, requiring only that good drainage be provided. While propagation is nearly always by seed, some vegetative method must be used to perpetuate desirable varieties. This is especially important with P. Guajava, in which there is more variation than in P. Cattleianum, and desirable forms do not come true from seed. Grafting has been successfully performed but never widely practised. In California, budding has been quite successful, with large stocks an inch or more in diameter and square or oblong patch buds about 1 ½ inches in length. This method, however, does not seem very suitable for commercial use. Shield-budding has been successful in a few instances, the operation being performed as with citrus, and it is this method which probably offers the greatest advantages. Propagation by cuttings is also possible, when half-ripened wood is used and bottom heat is available. All these methods have been practised to a very limited extent, seed- propagation being practically the only method used in most tropical countries. Seeds retain their vitality for some time, but should be planted as fresh as possible, using a light sandy loam and taking care to avoid over-watering when the young plants appear. When the second leaves have formed, the plants should be potted off and carried along in pots until they are transplanted into permanent positions, since they are somewhat difficult to transplant from the open ground. Planting should be done in late spring.
-In California P. guajava frequently suffers from the attacks of the black scale (Saissetia oleae), which must be kept in check by fumigation or spraying. In other countries this plant seems remarkably free from insect pests or fungous diseases, and this is true also of the Cattley guava. The fruits are sometimes injured by the Mediterranean fruit-fly, and a scab has been observed in Brazil which affects them prejudicially. As a rule, however, the plants require little attention. F. W. Popenoe.
+In California P. guajava frequently suffers from the attacks of the black scale (Saissetia oleae), which must be kept in check by fumigation or spraying. In other countries this plant seems remarkably free from insect pests or fungous diseases, and this is true also of the Cattley guava. The fruits are sometimes injured by the Mediterranean fruit-fly, and a scab has been observed in Brazil which affects them prejudicially. As a rule, however, the plants require little attention.
+{{SCH}} }}
 ==Cultivation==
 [[Image:Psidium cattleianum.jpg|thumb|Strawberry Guava ''Psidium cattleianum'']]

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 | cultivar =
 }}
 '''Adaptation''': The tropical guava is best adapted to the warm climate of Florida and Hawaii, although it can be grown in coastal Southern California, and with some protection, selected areas north to Mendocino County. Guavas actually thrive in both humid and dry climates, but can survive only a few degrees of frost. The tree will recover from a brief exposure to 29° F but may be completely defoliated. Young trees are particularly sensitive to cold spells. Older trees, killed to the ground, have sent up new shoots which fruited 2 years later. Guavas can take considerable neglect, withstanding temporary waterlogging and very high temperatures. They tend to bear fruit better in areas with a definite winter or cooler season. The adaptability of the guava makes it a serious weed tree in some tropical areas. The smaller guava cultivars can make an excellent container specimen.