Pineapple guava, also known as Feijoa, is a fruiting tree native to South America. Its fruit has a green skin and sweet pulp with a flavor similar to guava, pineapple, and strawberry. The tree is cold hardy and can be grown in full to partial sun, but requires two or more trees to bear fruit. The fruit is rich in vitamins and can be eaten raw or used in various recipes. It was named after Brazilian botanist Joam de Silva Feijo and is now commercially produced in New Zealand and California.
Pineapple guava is also known as Feijoa, Guavasteen, and by its botanical name, Feijoa sellowiana. It is a perennial fruiting tree native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, parts of southern Brazil and Colombia. The fruit has a green skin and white, grainy, juicy and sweet pulp. The flavor is often described as a combination of guava, pineapple and strawberry. The flower petals are also edible and have a sweet taste.
The pineapple guava tree has been reported to grow up to 5.49 meters tall. It has light gray bark and its edible flowers are large and white with a purple color in the centre, red stamens and yellow pollen. The leaves are thick and elliptical, with a light green upper side and a silvery underside. The skin of the fruit is waxy and can be smooth or rough. Because of the attractive characteristics of the pineapple guava, it is often used as a landscaping tree.
Pineapple guava is considered cold hardy and can be grown as far north as Georgia in the United States. The tree is not self-fertile and requires two or more trees to bear fruit. They typically grow well in full to partial sun, but often produce the best growth in full sun. The roots should be watered deeply about twice a week, although older trees can become drought tolerant. It can take four to six years for a tree to start producing fruit. Once the fruit appears, it normally ripens within 4-7 months.
Care must be taken when harvesting fruit from pineapple guava trees. If it is harvested too early, it may not ripen. The fruits bruise quite easily, so they shouldn’t be dropped from the tree. It is typically ready to harvest when there is a separation between the fruit and the stem – if the fruit falls when the tree is shaken, it is ripe and ready to eat. Because the fruit ripens from the inside out, this is the only way to tell when it’s ready to harvest.
From a nutritional point of view, the fruit is rich in vitamins A and C, fiber, copper, manganese, folic acid and potassium. It is low in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat. In addition to being eaten raw, fruit can be made into jellies, jams, desserts and smoothies.
The pineapple guava tree got its name “Feijoa” when it was named after the Brazilian botanist Joam de Silva Feijo. Pineapple guava was collected in Brazil by the German explorer Freidrich Sellow in the year 1815. In 1890, it was brought to Europe by the French botanist Dr. Edourard Andre. The fruit is now produced commercially in New Zealand and the US state of California.
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