Guava / Bayabas-Psidium guajava Print
Written by Bonsai King   
Wednesday, 16 December 2009 14:29

Local Name:

Guava / Bayabas

  

Scientific Name:
Psidium guajava

Family:

Myrtaceae

  
 

Habitat

    
The guava is native to central America from Mexico to northern South America.  It is cultivated mostly in tropical and sub-tropical locations around the world for its edible fruit.

Propagation

    
The guava easily grows from seed in the wild, but usually air layered for culture.

Comments

    
A small tree 3m to 10m, roots are shallow. The bark is smooth, light reddish-brown, with pubescent 4-angled young branches, bark peels off in large flakes, exposing greenish layer beneath. The trunk normally attains a diameter of about 25cm, but can reach 60cm. The leaves are opposite, ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic, acute-acuminate, pubescent beneath, often rather brittle, prominently nerved, lateral nerves 10-20 pairs; blades mostly 7-15cm long and 3-5cm wide, rounded at base, dull green, downy on the underside, aromatic when crushed. The flowers, hermaphroditic, solitary or 2-4 together in leaf axils, rather large about 2.5cm wide. The fruits globose, ovoid, or pyriform, whitish-yellow or faintly pink, sweet-sour pulpy, many-seeded about 100 to 500 per fruit, 2.5-10cm long. The pulp granular-juicy, seeds yellowish. When immature and unripe, the fruit is hard, green, gummy and astringent.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 December 2010 13:51