Strawberry Guava
Psidium cattleianum
Family: Myrtaceae
What it is like
Psidium cattleianum is an evergreen Shrub growing to 6 m (19ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower in May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 6
Where it is found
Not known
Southern S. America - Uruguay, southern and eastern Brazil.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil*, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, East Africa, Fiji, Ghana, Hawaii, India, Jamaica, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Norfolk Island, North America, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Reunion, SE Asia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tasmania, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit can be used in jellies, jams, custards, drinks etc. Sweet and aromatic. The flavour is more pronounced than that of the yellow strawberry guava but lacks the muskiness of the common guava. The fruit has an agreeable acid-sweet flavour and is good when eaten raw, though it can also be used in preserves. The fruit is about 4cm in diameter. Fruit and processed products are traded locally throughout the tropics and subtropics and although the economic importance of P. cattleianum remains low, it can become significant when it is cultivated (e.g. on Réunion). Its cultivation has been tested in Spain (Salinero Corral and Aguin Casal, 1993, 1996) and in Réunion (Normand, 1994, 2002b) where it is now a profitable crop. In contrast to the fruit from P. guajava, P. cattleianum fruit are not rich in vitamin C, with only 11-50 mg per 100 g.
Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.
Medicine
Rating: 3
Leaves contain compounds active against antibiotic-resistant strains of Gram-positive bacteria which are important human pathogens. They contain flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and essential oils, mainly b-caryophyllene. Fruit and leaves are used in traditional medicine against haemorrhage, diarrhoea and colic. Leaves are a source of essential oils produced after distillation.
Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.
Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Other
Rating: 3
Grown as a fruiting hedge in warm temperate climates. P. cattleianum is grown as an ornamental (garden tree or hedge tree) in the tropics and sub-tropics because of its slow growth, its pleasant dark green and shiny foliage and its tasty fruit. Fuel. Essential Oil. Poultry forage. Windbreak.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.
Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.
Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.
Hedge: Hedge
How it is grown
Requires a well-drained sandy loam with leaf mold . Requires cool greenhouse treatment in Britain. Tolerates short-lived light frosts and cool summers so it might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. Hardier to cold than the common guava. Dislikes much humidity. Sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties. Special soil tolerances: infertile, shallow.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. If trying the plants outdoors, plant them out in the summer and give them some protection from winter cold for at least their first two winters. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Hedge; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 9-12
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
P. cattleianum is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical countries after introduction as an ornamental or a fruit tree. It has invaded humid areas such as rainforests on tropical islands especially in the Pacific and Indian Oceans where it displaces native species and threatens their survival. It thrives in a large range of ecological conditions and reproduces efficiently by seeds and suckers.
Its other names
Local names
Strawberry Guava, Thai Guava, Cattley Guava, Cherry Guava, Chinese Guava, Purple Guava, Kuahpa, Bella seebai, Cattley guava, Konda jamipandu, Malam perakka, Mpera-ngombe, Mpera, Pahadi pijuli, Pahari payara, Porpay, Purple guava, Purple strawberry guava, Quwawa ni vavalagi, Red Strawberry guava, Seemai koyya,
Synonyms
P. cattleianum. Salisb.