Guava, Tropical Guava, Goiaba, Araçá-goiaba
Psidium guajava
Family: Myrtaceae
What it is like
Psidium guajava or commonly known as Guava is a popular fruit tree. It is evergreen, tropical, and small growing only up to 10 m high. It is native to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America but now widely cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions around the world. It is an excellent pioneer species that can thrive at high temperature and drought conditions. Guava has a wide range of medicinal uses. In particular, it has antibacterial properties, an astringent, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic. It is used against dysentery, diarrhea, hepatitis, gonorrhea, coughs, stomach pain, skin problems, ringworms, wounds, and ulcers. The fruit can be sweet to acidic and is high in vitamin C. It is consumed raw or cooked, made into jams or used as an ingredient in desserts. The seeds are source of edible oil. The leaves can be used in cooking. The leaves and bark are used for dyeing. The wood is used for tool handles, fence posts, carpentry, and turnery. However, it is best used as firewood and charcoal. It is resistant to insect and fungal attack. Guava can be propagated by seeds but growth rate is slow. The most common and ideal method is through cuttings and grafting.
Psidium guajava is an evergreen Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Common in disturbed places often forming thickets in pastures, plantations and other similar habitats in the Pacific Islands.
S. America from Peru north to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Panama; Bolivia, Plurinational State of; Cuba; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Mexico; United States; El Salvador; Puerto Rico; Paraguay; Argentina; Colombia; Trinidad and Tobago; Jamaica; Haiti; Dominican Republic; Cayman Islands; Nicaragua; Honduras; Guatemala; Costa Rica; Belize; Ecuador; Peru; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Virgin Islands, British; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Dominica; Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Saint Bathélemy; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part); Bahamas, Africa, Algeria, Amazon, Andamans, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Galapagos, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Hispaniola, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mexico, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Norfolk Island, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 5
Fruit - raw or cooked. The flavour can range from sweet to acidic. A soft fleshy pulp with a delicious aromatic flavour. Very high in vitamin C, it is also a good source of vitamin A and pectin. The fruit makes a very nice jam and can also be pureed then added to a range of desserts. The yellow-skinned fruit can be ovoid or pear shaped, is 4 - 12cm in diameter and can weigh up to 500g An edible oil is obtained from the seeds. In some Asian countries such as Indonesia, the leaves are used in cooking.
Oil: Oil
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Pectin: a substance that is used to thicken jams etc and as a culture medium in laboratories.
Medicine
Rating: 2
A decoction of the plant is antispasmodic, astringent, febrifuge and vulnerary. Guava exhibits antibacterial action against intestinal pathogens such as Staphylococcus. All parts of the young fruit are astringent. The dried ripe fruits are recommended as a remedy for dysentery, while the leaves and fruits are used as a cure for diarrhoea. The ripe, fresh fruit is eaten as a cure for constipation. Water from soaking the fruit is good to treat diabetes. The clear fruit juice has been recommended as a treatment for hepatitis, gonorrhoea, and diarrhoea. The oil from the seed contains bisabolene and flavonoids that exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. Compounds in the leaves have shown antidiabetic activity. The leaves are used as a treatment for diarrhoea, coughs, stomach ache and dysentery . The leaves are pounded, squeezed in salt water and the solution is used to treat toothaches. A decoction of the leaves or bark is taken externally as a lotion for skin complaints, ringworm, wounds, and ulcers. The bark, mixed with the roots of Achyranthes aspera and Urena lobata, is used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery.
Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.
Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.
Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Hypoglycaemic: Reduces the levels of sugar in the blood.
Mouthwash: Treats problems such as mouth ulcers.
Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in
Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.
Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content
Vulnerary: Promotes the healing of wounds.
Other
Rating: 5
Backyard tree. Courtyard. Specimen. Small shade tree. Large bright conservatory. Agroforestry Uses: A popular fruit crop with many other uses, the plant succeeds in full sun and quickly establishes itself in pastures etc; it is an excellent pioneer species for use in permaculture when establishing woodland gardens. The plant has been identified as useful for bio-indication and as a bio-accumulator in India. It is sensitive to sulphur dioxide. Other Uses The leaves and bark may be used for dyeing and tanning. The leaves are pounded with coconut milk and other substances to make a dye that turns silk black. The leaves are the source of an essential oil that contains methylchavicol, persein and d-pinene. The plant has insecticidal properties. The heartwood is brown or reddish; the sapwood light brown. The wood is hard, moderately heavy, moderately strong, very elastic and moderately durable. It is used for tool handles, fence posts and in carpentry and turnery. The wood makes excellent firewood and charcoal, at least in part because of its abundance, natural propagation, and classification as an undesirable weed.
Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.
Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.
Insecticide: Kills insects.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.
Pectin: A substance that is used to thicken jams etc and as a culture medium in laboratories.
Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.
Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
Teeth: Plants used to clean and care for the teeth.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
The guava is a hardy tree that adapts to a wide range of growing conditions from the humid lowland tropics to the cooler elevations, fruiting at elevations up to 1,500 metres and surviving as high as 2,000 metres. It can stand a wide range of temperatures; the highest yields are recorded at mean temperatures of 23 - 28°c, whilst in the subtropics quiescent trees can withstand light frost, and 3.5 - 6 months (depending on the cultivar) of mean temperatures above 16°c are sufficient for flowering and fruiting. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c. It can also tolerate low to moderate rainfall levels though, for good fruiting, it requires at least 1,000mm per annum with a clear dry period to allow its fruit to ripen. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 3,000mm, but can tolerate 400 - 5,000mm. For maximum production in the tropics it requires rainfall distributed over the year. If fruit ripens during a very wet period it loses flavour and may split. Prefers a fertile, moisture-retentive soil and a sunny position. Plants are tolerant of a range of soil conditions. Moderately tolerant of saline soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7.5, tolerating 4 - 8.5. The plant is more drought-resistant than most tropical fruit crops. The guava often escapes from cultivation and is considered a noxious weed in many tropical pasture lands - its proliferation may result in the abandonment of a pasture. There are many named varieties, selected for their superior fruit forms. Plants have some deep roots, but do not form a taproot. The trees flower all year round. Seedlings may flower within 2 years; clonally propagated trees often begin to bear during the first year after planting. Trees reach full bearing after 5 - 8 years, depending on growing conditions and spacing. The guava is not a long-lived tree (about 40 years), but the plants may bear heavily for 15 - 25 years. Average yields are between 30 - 40 kg/plant in 5 year-old plants and will reach a maximum production of 50 - 70 kg at about 7 years if well managed. Flowering Time: Late Spring/Early Summer. Bloom Color: White/Near White. Spacing: 20-30 ft. (6-9 m).
Propagating it: Seed - very easy, plants will often self-sow very freely. Seedlings tend to be true to their parents and can fruit within 3 years of germinating. Seed can be sown in beds, pots or directly in the field at a depth of 1 cm; germination occurs within 15 - 20 days. They should be planted out when about 25 cm high. Air-layering. Cuttings. Grafting.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 9-12
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The guava often escapes from cultivation and is considered a noxious weed in many tropical pasture lands - its proliferation may result in the abandonment of a pasture.
Its other names
Local names
Amapeera, Amba, Amrood, Araca, Arasa, Araza, Bak sidaa noi, Balabas, Banjirou, Bayabas, Bayawas, Emagwava, Fan shi liu gan, Farang, Goyave, Goyavier, Goybe, Guajaba, Guajabo, Guajavenbaum, Guayaba blanca, Guyaba, Jambu batu, Jambu berasa, Jambu biabas, Jambu biji, Jambu biyawas, Jambu klutuk, Jambu makan, Jambu padang, Kambu merabas, Kattukoyya, Kuava, Kuawa, Libas, Ligwava, Madhurium, Mapela, Mapun, Mguwa, Mpera, Mubera, Mupeera, Oi, Piyara, Quwawa, Ribas, Sahuintu, Seytuun, Te kuao, Te kuawa, Yam anseeta, aambak, abas, aduoba, agua, aguoba, aguwa, aguwo, amasi, amba, ambaru, ambhok, amrood, amrud, amrut, amruta-phalam, apple guava, araca-goiba, arasa, arazá puitá, araçá uaçu, araçá-goiaba, araçá-guaçú, banjiro, banjiro, banziro, belauki, belauti, bidji, bihi, bilauti, borimak, bugoyab, buyaki, coloc, common guava, cen lan, dijamboé, djamboe folium, djamboé, djambu bidji, djambu klutuk, eguabe, fa-rang, folium guavae, gavoala, gavobe, goa, goavy, goba, goejaba, goiaba, goiabeira, goiabeira-vermelha goiabeiro, gouyav, gouyavier, gow,a goyav, goyave, goyavier, goyya, grosse gelbe, gua, guabang, guafa, guaiaba, guaiava, guajave, guava, guava leaf, guava tree, guava|pera, guave, guavenbaum, guayaba, guayaba cak, guayaba colorada, guayaba de gusano, guayaba de venado, guayaba del monte, guayaba del peru, guayaba peruana, guayaba, hoja, guayabacotorrera, guayabe, guayabero, guayabo, guayabo agrio, guayabo amarillo, guayaboblanco, guayava, guayave, guayavebaum, guega, gujava, guyaba, gwaabaa, gwawa hind armudu, ipera, jaama, jamba, jambu biji, kautonga, kirim, kiswahili, koejawel, koyhab (tupi), koyya, krue, kuabas, kuahpa, kuava, kuawa, kuiaba, kuliabas, ku’ava, lambu, latam, lattam, lemon guava, lupro, mabera, maduriam, manssla, mbera, motiram, mpera, mugwavha, mù guó, ngoaba, nulu, oguawa, pat’a, perala, perodelle indie, peyara, posh, psidii pyriferi folium, psidio, psidium, punjo, quwawa, sari guafa, sigra, sikra, tuava, ugwoba, warakel-guafa, wariafa, waríafa, woba, xalxoctl, yellow guava.
Synonyms
Guajava pyrifera (L.) Kuntze Guajava pyriformis Gaertn. Myrtus guajava (L.) Kuntze Psidium aromaticu