Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

MYRTLE FAMILY (MYRTACEAE)
195. Guayaba, common guava Psidium guajava L.*
Guayaba or guava is a well-known cultivated
tree, because of the paste and jelly made from its
fruits. It is characterized by: (1) shrubby form,
the stems seldom straight; (2) smooth reddishbrown
bark which is thin and scales off in thin
sheets; (3) oblong or elliptic leaves with sunken
veins and minute gland dots; (4) large white flowers
about 1% inches across the 4 or 5 lnrge petals,
mostly borne singly at leaf basos; and (5) rounded
(sometimes pear-shaped) yellow edible fruits
134-2 inches in diameter, with 4 or 5 sepals at
apex.
Generally a shrub or low, widely spreading overgreen
tree 10-15 feet high and to 8 inches in diameter.
Inner bark is brown and slightly bitter.
Young twigs are 4-angled and slightly winged,
hairy, and green, becoming brown.
The leaves have short petioles 4/s-x inch long.
Leaf blades are 24 inches long and 1-2 inches
wide, short-pointed or rounded at both ends,
slightly thickened and leathery, edges a little
turned under, the upper surface green or yellow
green, sligl~tly shiny, almost llairlfss at maturity,
with the many parallel lateral velns sunken, and
lower surface paler, finely hairy, and with lateral
veins raised.
The fragrant flowers are scattered on stalks
inch long at base of a leaf. The green finely hrury
tubular base (hypanthium) 3/s inch long and
broad encloses the ovary and bears the other parts.
There are 4 or 5 yellow-green, slightly thickened,
finely hairy sepals 3/g-Y8 inch long; 4 or 5 elliptic
rounded white petals 5/g-3/q inch long; and very
numerous brushlike spreacl$g stamens with slen-
der white filaments averag!ng 1, inch long; and
pistil consisting of the inferior 4- or 5-celled ovary
and slender ~vhite style 7/16 inch long.
Cultivated varieties of this variable species
differ in fruit characters. The fruits (berries)
hare a strong mello~v odor at m,zt,urit,y. TVitllin
the thin, yellow, slightly sour, edible outer layer
are llumerous yellow seeds more than y8 inch Ion
in a juicy, pinkish or yellow ulp. Flowering an
fruiting nmrly throughout t R e year.
The sapn-ood is light brown, and the heartwood
bron-n or reddish. The hard, strong, heavy wood
(specific gravity 0.8) has been used for handles
and implements.
Common1 cultivated as a fruit tree. The fruits
are unusua.1 i'? y rich in vitamin C. The outer la er
of the fruit is preserved and canned commercia r ly,
as is the juice. Guava powder has been prepared
from the dehydrated fruits also. Else~rhere the
bark has been employed in tanning. Extracts
from leaves, bark, roots, and buds have served in
folk medicine.
Forming thickets and spreading in pastures,
chiefly on the coastal plains but also in t le lower
mountain regions of Puerto Rico. Also in Mona,
Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and
Tortola.
Rh~a~.-Native of tropical America probably
from southern Mexico south to South America, the
range greatly extended beyond through cultiva-
tion. Planted and naturalized also in southern
Florida including Florida Keys (grown also in
California), Bermuda, a.nd throughout West In-
dies from Bahamas and Cuba to Trinidad, and
south to Brazil. Cultivated in Dutch West Indies.
Also introduced in tropical and subtropical
regions of the Old World.
OTHER COMMON NAJTES.-~U~V~ (Virgin Is-
lands) ; guaynba, guayava, yayabo (Spanish) ;
guayaba perulera (Nicaragua) ; payabo dulce
(Colombia) ; arazii-puitii (Argentina) ; common
guava, guava (United States) ; guava (English) ;
wild guava (British I-Ionduras) ; goyave, goyavier
(French) ; goyavier i fruits (Guadeloupe) ; gu-
yaba, goeajaaba, guava (Dutch West Indies) ;
gunve, goejnba (Surinam) ; goiaba, gobiabiem
(Brazil).
%