guava

guava
/gwah"veuh/, n.
1. any of numerous tropical and subtropical American trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Psidium, of the myrtle family, esp. P. guajava, bearing large, yellow, round to pear-shaped fruit, and P. littorale, bearing smaller, yellowish to deep-red, oval fruit.
2. the fruit, used for making jam, jelly, etc.
[1545-55; < Sp guayaba < Arawak]

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Any of many trees and shrubs of the genus Psidium (myrtle family), native to the New World tropics.

The two important species are common guava (P. guajava) and cattley, or strawberry, guava (P. littorale or P. cattleianum). The sweet pulp of the common guava fruit has a musky, sometimes pungent odour. The pulp of the strawberry guava fruit has a strawberry-like flavour. Guavas are processed into jams, jellies, and preserves. Fresh guavas are rich in vitamins A, B, and C; they are eaten raw or sliced and are served as desserts.

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plant
 any of numerous trees and shrubs of the genus Psidium (family Myrtaceae) native to tropical America.

      The two important species are the common guava (Psidium guajava) and the cattley, or strawberry, guava (P. littorale or P. cattleianum). The common guava has a fruit with a yellow skin and white, yellow, or pink flesh. The cattley guava occurs in two forms: one has fruits with a bright yellow skin, and the other's fruits have a purplish red skin. Other guavas include the cás of Costa Rica (P. friedrichsthalianum) and the guisaro (P. molle), both with highly acidic fruits, and the Brazilian guava (P. guineense). The so-called pineapple guava is the feijoa (q.v.).

      The common guava is a large shrub or small tree with quadrangular branchlets, oval to oblong leaves about 7.6 cm (3 inches) in length, and four-petaled white flowers about 2.5 cm (1 inch) broad. The fruits are round to pear-shaped and measure up to 7.6 cm in diameter; their pulp contains many small, hard seeds (more abundant in wild forms than in cultivated varieties). The musky, and at times pungent, odour of the sweet pulp is not always appreciated. The Brazilian guava has similar but smaller fruit.

      Guavas are processed into jams, jellies, and preserves. Fresh guavas are rich in vitamins A, B, and C; they are eaten raw or sliced and served with sugar and cream as a dessert.

      The common guava is not frost-resistant but is successfully grown throughout southern Florida; in several tropical regions it grows so abundantly in a half-wild state as to have become a pest.

      The cattley, or strawberry, guava is considerably more frost-resistant. It is a large shrub with thick, glossy-green oval leaves and white flowers. The fruits are round, up to 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter, and contain many hard seeds. The soft pulp has a strawberry-like flavour. This species is frequently planted in gardens throughout southern California and other subtropical regions but is not commercially important.

      Propagation of the common guava is usually by seeds, but improved varieties must be perpetuated by plant parts. The plant's hard, dry wood and thin bark prevent cutting and conventional methods of grafting. Veneer grafting, using as rootstocks young plants in vigorous growth, gives excellent results.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Guava — Gua va, n. [Sp. guayaba the guava fruit, guayabo the guava tree; prob. fr. the native West Indian name.] A tropical tree, or its fruit, of the genus {Psidium}. Two varieties are well known, the {P. pyriferum}, or {white guava}, and {P. pomiferum} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • guava — 1550s, from Sp. guaya, variant of guayaba, from Arawakan (W. Indies) guayabo guava tree or Tupi guajava …   Etymology dictionary

  • guava — guàva ž DEFINICIJA bot. naziv za više vrsta suptropskog voća; obična guava (Psidium guajava), okruglast, ružičast i bijel, sočan, sladak plod, podrijetlom iz Meksika ETIMOLOGIJA šp. guayaba ← egz …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • guava — ► NOUN ▪ a tropical American fruit with pink juicy flesh. ORIGIN probably from Taino (an extinct Caribbean language) …   English terms dictionary

  • guava — [gwä′və] n. [Sp guayaba < Taino guayavá, prob. ult. < Tupí] 1. any of several tropical American plants (genus Psidium) of the myrtle family, esp. a tree ( P. guajava) bearing a yellowish, round or pear shaped, edible fruit 2. the fruit,… …   English World dictionary

  • Guava — taxobox name = Guava image caption = Apple guava ( Psidium guajava ) regnum = Plantae unranked divisio = Angiosperms unranked classis = Eudicots unranked ordo = Rosids ordo = Myrtales familia = Myrtaceae subfamilia = Myrtoideae genus = Psidium… …   Wikipedia

  • guava — UK [ˈɡwɑːvə] / US [ˈɡwɑvə] noun [countable] Word forms guava : singular guava plural guavas a large tropical fruit with green or yellow skin. It is pink inside …   English dictionary

  • guava — peruvinė gvajava statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Mirtinių šeimos maistinis, medieninis, vaisinis, vaistinis augalas (Psidium guajava), paplitęs Centrinėje ir Pietų Amerikoje. Naudojamas gėrimams (sultims) gaminti. atitikmenys: lot. Psidium… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • guava — noun Etymology: Spanish guaba, guayaba, perhaps from Taino Date: 1604 1. any of several tropical American shrubs or small trees (genus Psidium) of the myrtle family; especially a shrubby tree (P. guajava) widely cultivated for its sweet acid… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • guava — [[t]gwɑ͟ːvə[/t]] guavas N VAR A guava is a round yellow tropical fruit with pink or white flesh and hard seeds …   English dictionary

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