''Psidium guineense'' is a species of guava. Common names include Brazilian guava, Castilian guava,Brazilian Guava (''Psidium guineense'' Sw.)
The Center for New Crops & Plant Products. Purdue University. sour guava,Lim, T. K. ''Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 3, Fruits.'' Springer. 2012. pg. 728-29. Guinea guava (

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

), ''Goyavier du Brésil'' ( French language),''Psidium guineense''.
USFS. Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). ''brasiliaanse koejawel'' (

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

), ''Stachelbeerguave'' (

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

), ''chobo'', ''diondan'' ( Bolivia), ''guayabillo de tierra fria'' ( El Salvador), ''araçá do campo'', ''aracahy'' (

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

), ''guayaba brava'', ''sacha guayaba'' (

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

), ''allpa guayaba'' (

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

), ''guayaba agria'' (

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

), ''guayaba acida'', ''chamach'', ''pichippul'' ( Guatemala), ''guísaro'' ( Costa Rica), and ''guayabita de sabana'' (

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

Distribution and habitat

This plant is native to the Americas, where its natural range extends from Mexico to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, and includes parts of the Caribbean. It has been widely introduced outside of this range, and it is cultivated in some places. It is naturalized in parts of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The plant grows best on sunny sites with moist, fertile soils, but it is tolerant of a wide range of conditions and can grow in disturbed areas and in bad soils. It does not tolerate salinity or flooded substrates. In Brazil it is most common in coastal areas.Fernandes, T. G., et al. (2012)
In vitro synergistic effect of ''Psidium guineense'' (Swartz) in combination with antimicrobial agents against methicillin-Resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' strains.
''The Scientific World Journal'' 158237.

Description

This plant can be a shrub 1 to 3 meters tall or a tree reaching 7 meters. The bark and foliage are grayish. The leaves are up to 14 centimeters long by 8 wide. The stiff, oval-shaped blades sometimes have toothed edges. The undersides are very glandular and are coated in pale or reddish hairs. Flowers grow in the leaf axils, singly or in clusters of up to 3. The flower has a white corolla and many stamens. It is fragrant. The fruit is firm, rounded, and up to 2.5 centimeters wide. It has a yellow skin, a yellow outer pulp and whitish inner pulp containing many seeds.

Fruit

The pulp of the fruit is said to have a tart, strawberry-like taste. It has also been described as bitter. Different varieties have different tastes, and some are sweet enough to eat as raw fruit. They make good

fruit preserves Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the met ...

. This species has been crossed with its relative, the common guava. The resulting fruits are small, but numerous.

Other uses

The wood of the plant is hard and sturdy and can be used as

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

and to make durable objects like tool handles. The bark has

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...

and can be used in

tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

. There are a few medicinal uses for the plant. Extracts of the bark and roots are used to treat

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...

in Brazil. Extracts of the leaves are used to ease the common cold in Costa Rica. Laboratory studies show that extracts have some activity against methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'', particularly when combined with antibiotics. Flavonoids identified in the plant include

quercetin Quercetin is a plant flavonol from the flavonoid group of polyphenols. It is found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds, and grains; capers, red onions, and kale are common foods containing appreciable amounts of it. It has a bitter flavor ...

, avicularin, and

guaijaverin Guaijaverin is the 3-O-arabinoside of quercetin. It is found in the leaves of ''Psidium guajava ''Psidium guajava'', the common guava, yellow guava, lemon guava, or apple guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Caribbean, Ce ...

Ecology

The plant is a host for the mistletoe '' Psittacanthus angustifolius''.Melgar, J. and M. Berrios. (2001)
First report of ''Psittacanthus angustifolius'' on ''Psidium guineense'' and ''Pinus tecunumanii'' in Honduras.
''Plant Disease'' 85(10) 1120.1.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6090472 guineense Flora of the Atlantic Forest Trees of Mexico Trees of Peru Trees of Bolivia Trees of Brazil Trees of Paraguay Trees of South America Trees of the Caribbean Trees of Central America Plants described in 1788 Taxa named by Olof Swartz Flora without expected TNC conservation status