Guava

Guava fruit is yellow and lemon-shaped. Some fruits may be brownish yellow. The inside of the fruit has pink or cream-colored pulp and small hard seeds. The guava tree as a low evergreen tree or shrub 6 to 25 feet high, with wide spreading branches and downy twigs. The branches are very strong and highly tolerant to high winds. The leaves are oblong or oval and blunt, 3 to 6 inches long, and feather-veined. The flowers are an inch or more across, the calyx bell-shaped and splitting irregularly, the four to six petals are white, and the stamens are white with yellow anthers. Guava is used to produce jams, jelly’s, and juices commercially. Guava may be eaten raw or cooked. Guavas are an excellent source of vitamin C and also contain iron calcium, and phosphorus. Despite its use commercially, guava is considered a weed in lower elevations in Hawaii. It is also a serious pest plant in pastures.