Psidium guajava

Description

Trunk may attain a diameter of 25 cm. Stems are crooked. Barkis smooth, thin, light to reddish brown, continuously flaking. Young twigs are 4-angled, ridged, and pubescent. Leaves are opposite, simple, short-petioled, oblong to elliptic, 5-15 x 3-6 cm, leathery, with conspicuous parallel veins, entire margins, moreor less pubescent on the underside, aromatic when crushed. Flowers are faintly fragrant, borne singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils. Calyx is whitish, split irregularly into 4-6 lobes, persistent. Petals are 4-5, white, linear-ovate, 1-2 cm long, quickly shed. Stamens are numerous, prominent, about 12 mm long, filaments pale white, erect or spreading, anthers pale-yellow. Ovary is inferior, ovules numerous, style about 10 cm long, stigma green, capitate. Fruit is round, ovoid, or pear-shaped berry, 4-12 cm long, with 4 or 5 protruding sepals at the apex. Exocarp (fruit skin) is yellow when ripe, sometimes flushed with red, exuding a strong, sweet, musky odor when ripe. Fruit pulp (mesocarp) is creamy-white or creamy-yellow to pink or red and juicy. The inner pulp envelopes numerous, cream to brown, kidney-shaped or flattened, 3 mm long seeds.

Source: Pinkka e-learning: Tropical Plants of Economic Importance (AGRI-247) - Angiosperms: dicots CC BY 4.0

Growing form

Shallow-rooted evergreen shrub or small tree with spreading branches, up to 10 m high.

Source: Pinkka e-learning: Tropical Plants of Economic Importance (AGRI-247) - Angiosperms: dicots CC BY 4.0

The map represents observations of this taxon, but it may not be used as a distribution map.

squares
Observations
  • Total squares
Checklist
FinBIF master checklist
Scientific name
Psidium guajava
Author
L.
Vernacular names
  • hedelmäguava (Finnish)
Identifier
http://tun.fi/MX.5009629
Taxon rank
species
Expert
  • Jouko Rikkinen
DNA barcode sequences
Psidium guajava
42 public records
Informal groups
  • Vascular plants