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strawberry guava

guava

Habit Shrubs or trees to 8 m; trunk reddish brown, smooth to scaly; young twigs light reddish brown to light gray, flattened, becoming subterete, older twigs usually gray, remaining ± smooth; young growth glabrous or sparsely puberulent to strigose on some floral structures, hairs whitish, most less than 0.1 mm. Shrubs or trees, glabrous or pubescent, hairs simple.
Leaves

petiole channeled, 2–14 × 1–2 mm, glabrous;

blade drying light or dark reddish brown or grayish green, nearly concolorous, obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 5–10 × 2–5.8 cm, 1.5–2.6 times as long as wide, leathery (rubbery when fresh), midvein prominent abaxially, nearly flat to shallowly impressed adaxially, lateral veins 8–13 pairs, ascending, weak to obscure, alternating with weaker veins arising near margin and extending toward midvein, base usually attenuate to cuneate, rarely rounded, apex acute or acuminate to broadly rounded, surfaces glabrous.

sometimes drought deciduous, opposite;

blade venation usually brochidodromous.

Inflorescences

1-flowered, borne in leaf axils, from leafless nodes, or in axils of leaflike or reduced bracts;

bracteoles ovate, lanceolate, or oblong, 1–2 mm.

1- or 3-flowered, axillary, solitary flowers or dichasia;

bracteoles caducous.

Flowers

bud subpyriform, 6–13 mm, apex rounded;

calyx tube extended 3–7 mm beyond ovary summit, terminating in sinuate-edged terminal pore (rarely completely closed), tearing irregularly at anthesis, tears cutting through staminal ring;

hypanthium 3–5 mm (below calyx);

petals suborbiculate to elliptic, 3–6 mm;

disc within staminal ring ca. 4–6 mm across;

stamens 280–400, 3–8 mm;

anthers 0–1 mm;

style 4–8 mm;

stigma ca. 1 mm wide;

ovary 3- or 4-locular;

placenta reflexed;

ovules ca. 12–25 per locule.

usually 5-merous, sessile or pedicellate;

hypanthium obconic;

calyx lobes distinct or connate beyond summit of ovary to form calyx tube, sometimes forming calyptra (in closed flower bud, calyptra completely closed or open only as a terminal pore, tearing regularly into 5 lobes or irregularly);

petals whitish;

stamens [100–]280–720;

ovary [2- or]3–6-locular;

placenta bilamelate, often protruding as a peltate structure;

ovules 12–180 per locule, biseriate or multiseriate.

Fruits

berries, green, yellow, or red, pyriform, globose, or subglobose.

Berries

red or yellow, pyriform to subglobose, 15–30 mm.

Seeds

few–100, round to subreniform, ca. 5 mm, smooth.

few–100+;

seed coat dull, bony, densely woody, ca. 9–30 cells thick at narrowest point, covered with thin layer of pulpy tissue when wet, or glaze or crusty tissue when dry;

embryo curved;

cotyledons usually reflexed, linear to elliptic, shorter than hypocotyl.

Psidium cattleyanum

Psidium

Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–15 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; South America (Brazil) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (Hawaii)]
from USDA
Mexico; Central America; West Indies; South America (except Chile) [Introduced, Florida]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Psidium cattleyanum is known in the flora area from the central and southern peninsula and is commonly cultivated for its edible fruit.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species ca. 70 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaf blades glabrous, obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, lateral veins 8–13 pairs (weak to obscure); floral buds each usually with a terminal pore, apex rounded.
P. cattleyanum
1. Leaf blades appressed-pubescent abaxially, elliptic, elliptic-oblanceolate, elliptic-obovate, lanceolate, or oblong, lateral veins 9–22 pairs (prominent); floral buds each without terminal pore, apex usually conic.
P. guajava
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10. Author: Leslie R. Landrum.
Parent taxa Myrtaceae > Psidium Myrtaceae
Sibling taxa
P. guajava
Subordinate taxa
P. cattleyanum, P. guajava
Synonyms P. littorale, P. variabile
Name authority Sabine: Trans. Hort. Soc. London 4: [315–]317, plate 11. (1821) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 470. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 211. (1754)
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