Psidium guineense (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Psidium guineense Swartz

Family: Myrtaceae

Vernacular names

• Brazilian guava (En)
• Goyavier du Brésil (Fr).

Distribution

Originating from tropical America. Cultivated in America, India, Java and on some Polynesian islands.

Uses

The fruits are suitable for making jelly and compote. Decoctions of leaves, bark and roots are used in traditional medicine against colds, ulcers and diarrhoea. The bark is rich in tannin. The wood is strong and used for small utensils.

Observations

• Shrub, 1-3 m tall, sometimes a tree up to 7 m tall.
• Fruit a globose or pyriform berry, 1-2.5 cm diameter, yellow, flesh pale-yellow with numerous small hard seeds.

At medium altitudes, not on sandy light soils. A very variable species, easily crossing with P. guajava.

Selected sources

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963 1968. Flora of Java. 3 Volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands.

• Mansfeld, R. & Schultze Motel, J., 1986. Verzeichnis landwirtschaftlicher und gärtnerischer Kuturpflanzen. 2nd ed. 4 Volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin. 1998 pp.

• Morton, J.F., 1987. Fruits of warm climates. Creative Resource Systems Inc., Winterville, N.C., USA. 503 pp.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen, J. Jukema, L.P.A. Oyen, T.G. van Lingen