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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Feijoa
| image = Feijoa_HortResearch.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Pineapple Guava ''Feijoa sellowiana'' fruit
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Myrtales]]
| familia = [[Myrtaceae]]
| genus = ''Feijoa''
| species = '''''F. sellowiana'''''
| binomial = ''Feijoa sellowiana''
| binomial_authority = [[O. Berg]]
}}
The '''Feijoa''' ('''''Feijoa sellowiana''''', synonym ''Acca sellowiana''), also known as '''Pineapple Guava''' or '''Guavasteen''', is an [[evergreen]] [[shrub]] or small [[tree]], 1-7 m in height, originating from the highlands of southern [[Brazil]], parts of [[Colombia]], [[Uruguay]] and northern [[Argentina]].
==Description of fruit and plant==
[[Image:feijoas_on_white.jpg|thumb|left|Whole and cut feijoas.]]
The [[fruit]] matures in [[autumn]] and is green, chicken-egg-sized, and ellipsoid-shaped. It has a sweet, aromatic flavour. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly-like seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked from the tree prior to drop to prevent bruising. This plant is [[monotypic]] in its [[genus]]. Like the closely-related [[guava]], the fruit pulp has a gritty texture which is utlised in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant.
[[Germany|German]] [[botanist]] [[Otto Karl Berg]] named ''Feijoa'' after [[João da Silva Feijó]], a [[Brazilian]] botanist.
==Growing conditions==
It is a warm-[[temperate]] to [[subtropical]] [[plant]] that will also grow in the [[tropic]]s but requires some winter chilling to fruit. In the [[northern hemisphere]] it has been cultivated as far north as western [[Scotland]] but does not fruit every year, as winter temperatures below about -9°C will kill the flower buds. Large quantities are grown in [[New Zealand]], where the fruit is a popular garden tree and the fruit is commonly available in season.
==Consumption and uses==
The fruit is usually eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon. The fruits have a juicy sweet seed pulp, and slightly gritty flesh nearer the skin. The flavour is aromatic and sweet. If the utensils needed to eat it this way are not available, the feijoa can be torn or bitten in half, and the contents squeezed out and consumed. An alternative is to bite the end off and then tear the fruit in half length ways, exposing a larger surface with less curvature. The teeth can then scrape the pulp out closer to the skin, with less wastage. They can even be [[eating|eaten]] whole, with only the junction to the plant cut off. The skin is sour and can be bitter, but provides a nice balance to the sweet pulp. Still, this is a less common method. A feijoa can also be used as an interesting addition to a fruit [[smoothie]], and can be used to make feijoa wine. It is also possible to buy Feijoa [[yogurt]], fruit drinks, etc. in New Zealand.
[[Image:Feijoa cut.jpg|thumb|right|Cut overmature fruit]]
Fruit maturity is not always apparent from the outside as the fruits remain green until they are overmature or rotting. When the fruits are immature the seed pulp is white and opaque, becoming clear and jelly-like when ripe. Fruits are at their optimum maturity when the seed pulp has turned into a clear jelly with no hint of browning. Once the seed pulp and surrounding flesh start to brown, the fruit is over mature and shouldn't be eaten.
==Shipping and sale==
Feijoas can be cool-stored for approximately a month and still have a few days of shelf life at optimum eating maturity. Because of the relatively short shelf life store keepers need to be careful to replace older feijoas regularly to ensure high quality. In some countries, feijoas can also be purchased at roadside stalls, often at a lower price.
==Cultivation==
[[Image:Feijoa flower02.jpg|right|thumb|Feijoa flowers]]
Some [[grafting|grafted]] cultivars are self fertile. Most are not, and require a [[pollenizer]]. Seedlings may or may not be of usable qualit
y, and may or may not be self fertile. In [[New Zealand]], the [[pollinator]]s are medium sized birds such as the [[Silvereye]] in the cooler parts of the South Island, the [[blackbird]] or the [[Indian myna]] further North, which feed on the sweet, fleshy petals of the feijoa flower. In some areas where the species has been introduced, it has been unproductive due to lack of pollinators. <br clear = left>
==External links==
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/feijoa.html Fruits of Warm Climates: Feijoa]
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Feijoa Fruit Facts]
* [http://www.feijoa.org.nz/ New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association Inc.]
[[Category:Myrtales]]
[[Category:Trees of Argentina]]
[[Category:Trees of Brazil]]
[[Category:Trees of Uruguay]]
[[Category:Trees of Colombia]]<!-- should this be the order of precedence, for the list? don't assume. Let some "expert" confirm/ or/ deny. It seems like the tree must come from the South.?.. ...and is also in Colombia?.... -->
[[Category:Fruit]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = Feijoa
| image = Feijoa_HortResearch.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Pineapple Guava ''Feijoa sellowiana'' fruit
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Myrtales]]
| familia = [[Myrtaceae]]
| genus = ''Feijoa''
| species = '''''F. sellowiana'''''
| binomial = ''Feijoa sellowiana''
| binomial_authority = [[O. Berg]]
}}
The '''Feijoa''' ('''''Feijoa sellowiana''''', synonym ''Acca sellowiana''), also known as '''Pineapple Guava''' or '''Guavasteen''', is an [[evergreen]] [[shrub]] or small [[tree]], 1-7 m in height, originating from the highlands of southern [[Brazil]], parts of [[Colombia]], [[Uruguay]] and northern [[Argentina]].
==Description of fruit and plant==
[[Image:feijoas_on_white.jpg|thumb|left|Whole and cut feijoas.]]
The [[fruit]] matures in [[autumn]] and is green, chicken-egg-sized, and ellipsoid-shaped. It has a sweet, aromatic flavour. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly-like seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked from the tree prior to drop to prevent bruising. This plant is [[monotypic]] in its [[genus]]. Like the closely-related [[guava]], the fruit pulp has a gritty texture which is utlised in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant.
[[Germany|German]] [[botanist]] [[Otto Karl Berg]] named ''Feijoa'' after [[João da Silva Feijó]], a [[Brazilian]] botanist.
==Growing conditions==
It is a warm-[[temperate]] to [[subtropical]] [[plant]] that will also grow in the [[tropic]]s but requires some winter chilling to fruit. In the [[northern hemisphere]] it has been cultivated as far north as western [[Scotland]] but does not fruit every year, as winter temperatures below about -9°C will kill the flower buds. Large quantities are grown in [[New Zealand]], where the fruit is a popular garden tree and the fruit is commonly available in season.
==Consumption and uses==
The fruit is usually eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon. The fruits have a juicy sweet seed pulp, and slightly gritty flesh nearer the skin. The flavour is aromatic and sweet. If the utensils needed to eat it this way are not available, the feijoa can be torn or bitten in half, and the contents squeezed out and consumed. An alternative is to bite the end off and then tear the fruit in half length ways, exposing a larger surface with less curvature. The teeth can then scrape the pulp out closer to the skin, with less wastage. They can even be [[eating|eaten]] whole, with only the junction to the plant cut off. The skin is sour and can be bitter, but provides a nice balance to the sweet pulp. Still, this is a less common method. A feijoa can also be used as an interesting addition to a fruit [[smoothie]], and can be used to make feijoa wine. It is also possible to buy Feijoa [[yogurt]], fruit drinks, etc. in New Zealand.
[[Image:Feijoa cut.jpg|thumb|right|Cut overmature fruit]]
Fruit maturity is not always apparent from the outside as the fruits remain green until they are overmature or rotting. When the fruits are immature the seed pulp is white and opaque, becoming clear and jelly-like when ripe. Fruits are at their optimum maturity when the seed pulp has turned into a clear jelly with no hint of browning. Once the seed pulp and surrounding flesh start to brown, the fruit is over mature and shouldn't be eaten.
==Shipping and sale==
Feijoas can be cool-stored for approximately a month and still have a few days of shelf life at optimum eating maturity. Because of the relatively short shelf life store keepers need to be careful to replace older feijoas regularly to ensure high quality. In some countries, feijoas can also be purchased at roadside stalls, often at a lower price.
==Cultivation==
[[Image:Feijoa flower02.jpg|right|thumb|Feijoa flowers]]
Some [[grafting|grafted]] cultivars are self fertile. Most are not, and require a [[pollenizer]]. Seedlings may or may not be of usable qualit
y, and may or may not be self fertile. In [[New Zealand]], the [[pollinator]]s are medium sized birds such as the [[Silvereye]] in the cooler parts of the South Island, the [[blackbird]] or the [[Indian myna]] further North, which feed on the sweet, fleshy petals of the feijoa flower. In some areas where the species has been introduced, it has been unproductive due to lack of pollinators. <br clear = left>
==External links==
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/feijoa.html Fruits of Warm Climates: Feijoa]
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Feijoa Fruit Facts]
* [http://www.feijoa.org.nz/ New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association Inc.]
[[Category:Myrtales]]
[[Category:Trees of Argentina]]
[[Category:Trees of Brazil]]
[[Category:Trees of Uruguay]]
[[Category:Trees of Colombia]]<!-- should this be the order of precedence, for the list? don't assume. Let some "expert" confirm/ or/ deny. It seems like the tree must come from the South.?.. ...and is also in Colombia?.... -->
[[Category:Fruit]]
