Guava

Feijoa, Guavasteen

Feijoa sellowiana (feh-JO-uh sell-LOW-ee-ayn-ah)

Evergreen shrub
Sun, 20 to 25 ft. tall
15 ft. wide
Spacing 12-15'

HABIT: Slow-growing evergreen with thick, leathery leaves, pale gray bark, spreading branches swollen at the nodes and white-hairy when young. Flowers in late spring are white tinged with purple on the inside. Fruit tastes like a combination of pineapple and guava or pineapple and strawberry.

CULTURE: Prefers cool winters and moderate summers. Fruit is much better in cool than in warm regions. Cold hardy but sudden fall frosts can damage ripening fruit and late spring frosts can destroy blossoms. Will grow in a wide variety of soils. Fairly salt tolerant. Low water and fertilizer requirements.

USE: Hedge, screen, or windbreak. Can also be espaliered or trained as a small tree with one or more trunks.

PROBLEMS: Remarkably pest and disease-resistant. It is occasionally attacked by scale or fruit flies.

NOTES: Birds eating the petals pollinate the flower. Two plants are needed to produce fruits. Native to the mountains of extreme southern Brazil, northern Argentina, western Paraguay and Uruguay.

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