Psidium cattleianum, named in honour of notable English horticulturist Sir William Cattley, commonly known as Cattley guava or Peruvian guava, is a small tree (2–6 m tall), bearing small red or yellow fruit, which are somewhat sour but sometimes eaten or made into jam. The red-fruited variety is known as strawberry guava; the yellow-fruited variety is known as lemon guava, and in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 as waiawī. Native to Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 and adjacent tropical South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, it is closely related to common guava

Psidium guajava

The apple guava or common guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America...

 (P. guajava), and like that species is a widespread, highly invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

 in tropical areas, especially Hawaiʻi. It tends to form dense, monotypic stands which prevent regrowth of native species, and is very difficult to eradicate. As an invasive species, it is sometimes erroneously called Chinese guava.

The fruit can be eaten by cutting them in half and scooping out the pulp and seeds or by biting off a piece of the rind and sucking out the insides. Strawberry guavas taste like a passionfruit mixed with strawberry

Strawberry

Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...

; lemon guavas have a more acidic and spicier flavor.http://www.americanshohin.org/en/species-guides/116-lemon-guava-psidium-littorale-littorale The seeds are small and white in colour and can be roasted as a substitute for coffee. Its leaves may be brewed for tea. The skin is also edible and tastes a bit like rose petals but is best removed for a sweeter flavour.

External links

• Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava) information from the HEAR project

• Photo of ripening lemon guavas. Retrieved 2007-NOV-25.