Common guava (Psidium guajava, Sp. Pl.: 470 (1753))

Family: Myrtaceae

Author: L.

Bibliography: Sp. Pl.: 470 (1753)

Year: 1753

Status: accepted

Rank: species

Genus: Psidium

Vegetable: False

Observations: S. Trop. America

Description

Common guava, scientifically known as Psidium guajava, is a well-regarded fruiting plant native to southern tropical America. First recorded in 1753, common guava finds its roots in the distinguished work of Carolus Linnaeus, who identified and cataloged the species in “Species Plantarum.” This tropical evergreen belongs to the Myrtaceae family, a large and diverse family of flowering plants.

The common guava is cherished for its flavorful and aromatic fruit, which can be enjoyed fresh or used in a myriad of culinary applications such as jams, jellies, and beverages. The fruit’s remarkable nutritional value includes high levels of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and various antioxidants, making it a healthful addition to many diets around the world.

Botanically, the tree typically reaches a height of 3 to 10 meters and bears a distinctive smooth, copper-colored bark that peels away in flakes. The leaves are oppositely arranged, oblong to oval in shape, and exhibit prominent veining. When crushed, they emit a distinctive aromatic scent. Flowers of the common guava plant are white, with multiple stamens creating a striking contrast, eventually leading to the formation of the well-loved guava fruit.

The adaptability of Psidium guajava allows it to thrive in diverse environments, although it prefers full sunlight and well-drained soils. It has been naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions beyond its native range due to its economic importance and ease of cultivation.

In many cultures, the common guava holds significant traditional value and is often utilized in folk medicine. Various parts of the plant, including the leaves, bark, and fruit, are used to treat ailments ranging from gastrointestinal issues to skin conditions, demonstrating the plant’s versatile nature. Renowned for both its economic potential and health benefits, the common guava continues to be an important species in agronomy and horticulture worldwide.

Common Names

Eng: guava, abas, common guava, goyavier, guabang, kautonga, kuahpa
Deu: guave, guavenbaum, guayave
Por: goiaba, goiabeiro
Spa: goiabeira, guayaba, guayabo, guayabo común
Fra: goyavier
Swe: guava
Afr: koejawel
En: Common guava, Lemon guava, Yellow guava, Guava, Kiyafes, Sotong, Abas, Goyavier, Guabang, Kautonga, Kuahpa, Guava Tree, Guave, Guave Tree, Guyaba, Guajava, Tropical Guava, Apple guava
Af: Koejawel
Am: ዘይቱን
Ar: جوافة
Bm: Buyaki
Eu: Guaiabondo
Be: Гуаява, Гуаява звыйчаная
My: ကီလိုမာလကာ
Zh: 番石榴
Cs: Kvajáva
Da: Guava
Dv: ފޭރު
Nl: Guave
Eo: Gujavo
Et: Harilik guajaavipuu
Fi: Guava, Hedelmäguava
Fr: Goyavier, Goyave, Goyavier commun, Guyaba, Goiyave
Gl: Goiabeira
Ka: Გუიავა
De: Guave, Guavenbaum, Guayave, Echte Guave
Gn: Arasa
Gu: સિડિયમ ગ્વાજાવા
Ht: Pye gwayav
Ha: Gweba
He: גויאבה מצויה
Hi: Amrood
Hu: Közönséges guáva
Id: Jambu biji
It: Guaiava
Ja: Banjirō
Jv: Jambu kluthuk
Km: ត្របែក
Rw: Amapera
Kv: Гуайява
Ko: 구아바
Lv: Gvajave
Mg: Goavy (zavamaniry)
Ms: Jambu batu
Mr: पेरु
No: Guava
Fa: امرود
Pl: Gujawa pospolita
Pt: Goiaba, Goiabeiro, Goiabeira, Araçá, Araçá goiaba, Araçá-uaçu, Goiabeira branca, Goiabeira pera, Goiabeira vermelha, Guaiaba
Pt-br: Guaiaba, Guaiava, Araçá-goiaba, Araçá-guaçú
Qu: Sawintu
Ru: Гуайява
So: Seytunn
Es: Guayaba, Guayabo, Gvajava, Goiabeira, Guayabo común
Su: Jambu Batu
Sw: Mpera
Sv: Guava
Tl: Bayabas
Ty: Tuava
Zh-tw: 番石榴
Ta: கொய்யா
Th: ฝรั่ง
To: Kuava
Zh-hant: 番石榴
Ts: Mugwava
Uk: Яблучна гуаява
Ur: امرود
Vi: Ổi
Wo: Biab, Goyap, Guyaab

Synonyms

• Psidium longifolium (Schumach.)
• Psidium sapidissimum (Jacq.)
• Psidium guajava f. cujavillus ((Burm.f.) O.Deg. & I.Deg.)
• Psidium subcrenatum (Barb.Rodr.)
• Guajava pumila ((Vahl) Kuntze)
• Psidium globosum (Larrañaga)
• Myrtus guajava ((L.) Kuntze)
• Psidium pyriferum var. glabrum (Benth.)
• Psidium chodatianum (Barb.Rodr.)
• Psidium cujavus (L.)
• Psidium pyriferum (L.)
• Psidium pumilum var. guadalupense (DC.)
• Psidium guajava var. minor (Mattos)
• Psidium pomiferum (L.)
• Myrtus guajava var. pyrifera ((Kuntze) Kuntze)
• Psidium cujavillus (Burm.f.)
• Psidium igatemyense (Barb.Rodr.)
• Psidium pumilum var. rufescens (Blume)
• Psidium ellipticum (Barb.Rodr.)
• Psidium crispum (Barb.Rodr.)
• Psidium fragrans (Macfad.)
• Psidium intermedium (Zipp. ex Blume)
• Psidium guajava var. cujavillum ((Burm.f.) Krug & Urb.)
• Psidium vulgare (Rich.)
• Psidium pumilum var. intermedium (Blume)
• Psidium pomiferum var. sapidissimum ((Jacq.) DC.)
• Psidium prostratum (O.Berg)
• Guajava pyrifera (Kuntze)
• Syzygium ellipticum (K.Schum. & Lauterb.)
• Psidium pumilum (Vahl)
• Psidium angustifolium (Lam.)
• Psidium aromaticum (Blanco)

Distribution

• Argentina Northeast (native)
• Argentina Northwest (native)
• Bolivia (native)
• Brazil Northeast (native)
• Brazil South (native)
• Brazil Southeast (native)
• Brazil West-Central (native)
• Colombia (native)
• Ecuador (native)
• Paraguay (native)
• Peru (native)
• Venezuela (native)
• Easter Is. (introduced)
• El Salvador (introduced)
• Eritrea (introduced)
• Ethiopia (introduced)
• Florida (introduced)
• French Guiana (introduced)
• Gabon (introduced)
• Galápagos (introduced)
• Gambia (introduced)
• Guatemala (introduced)
• Guinea (introduced)
• Andaman Is. (introduced)
• Angola (introduced)
• Ascension (introduced)
• Assam (introduced)
• Bahamas (introduced)
• Bangladesh (introduced)
• Belize (introduced)
• Bermuda (introduced)
• Bismarck Archipelago (introduced)
• Borneo (introduced)
• Burkina (introduced)
• Canary Is. (introduced)
• Cape Provinces (introduced)
• Cape Verde (introduced)
• Caroline Is. (introduced)
• Cayman Is. (introduced)
• Central African Repu (introduced)
• Chagos Archipelago (introduced)
• China South-Central (introduced)
• China Southeast (introduced)
• Christmas I. (introduced)
• Comoros (introduced)
• Cook Is. (introduced)
• Costa Rica (introduced)
• Cuba (introduced)
• Dominican Republic (introduced)
• Easter Is. (introduced)
• El Salvador (introduced)
• Eritrea (introduced)
• Ethiopia (introduced)
• Florida (introduced)
• French Guiana (introduced)
• Gabon (introduced)
• Galápagos (introduced)
• Gambia (introduced)
• Gilbert Is. (introduced)
• Guatemala (introduced)
• Guinea (introduced)
• Guinea-Bissau (introduced)
• Gulf of Guinea Is. (introduced)
• Guyana (introduced)
• Hainan (introduced)
• Haiti (introduced)
• Hawaii (introduced)
• Honduras (introduced)
• India (introduced)
• Ivory Coast (introduced)
• Jamaica (introduced)
• Kenya (introduced)
• Kermadec Is. (introduced)
• KwaZulu-Natal (introduced)
• Leeward Is. (introduced)
• Lesser Sunda Is. (introduced)
• Line Is. (introduced)
• Louisiana (introduced)
• Madeira (introduced)
• Malawi (introduced)
• Malaya (introduced)
• Guinea-Bissau (introduced)
• Gulf of Guinea Is. (introduced)
• Guyana (introduced)
• Hainan (introduced)
• Hawaii (introduced)
• Honduras (introduced)
• India (introduced)
• Ivory Coast (introduced)
• Jamaica (introduced)
• Kermadec Is. (introduced)
• KwaZulu-Natal (introduced)
• Leeward Is. (introduced)
• Lesser Sunda Is. (introduced)
• Louisiana (introduced)
• Madeira (introduced)
• Malawi (introduced)
• Malaya (introduced)
• Marquesas (introduced)
• Marshall Is. (introduced)
• Mauritania (introduced)
• Mexico Central (introduced)
• Mexico Gulf (introduced)
• Mexico Northeast (introduced)
• Mexico Northwest (introduced)
• Mexico Southwest (introduced)
• Mozambique (introduced)
• Namibia (introduced)
• Nansei-shoto (introduced)
• Nauru (introduced)
• New Caledonia (introduced)
• Nicaragua (introduced)
• Nicobar Is. (introduced)
• Niue (introduced)
• Norfolk Is. (introduced)
• Northern Provinces (introduced)
• Ogasawara-shoto (introduced)
• Panamá (introduced)
• Puerto Rico (introduced)
• Samoa (introduced)
• Society Is. (introduced)
• South China Sea (introduced)
• Southwest Caribbean (introduced)
• St.Helena (introduced)
• Sulawesi (introduced)
• Suriname (introduced)
• Taiwan (introduced)
• Tanzania (introduced)
• Trinidad-Tobago (introduced)
• Tuamotu (introduced)
• Tubuai Is. (introduced)
• Turks-Caicos Is. (introduced)
• Uganda (introduced)
• Venezuelan Antilles (introduced)
• Wallis-Futuna Is. (introduced)
• Zambia (introduced)
• Zaïre (introduced)
• Zimbabwe (introduced)
• Marianas (introduced)
• Marquesas (introduced)
• Marshall Is. (introduced)
• Mauritania (introduced)
• Mexico Central (introduced)
• Mexico Gulf (introduced)
• Mexico Northeast (introduced)
• Mexico Northwest (introduced)
• Mexico Southeast (introduced)
• Mexico Southwest (introduced)
• Mozambique (introduced)
• Namibia (introduced)
• Nansei-shoto (introduced)
• Nauru (introduced)
• New Caledonia (introduced)
• Nicaragua (introduced)
• Nicobar Is. (introduced)
• Niue (introduced)
• Norfolk Is. (introduced)
• Northern Provinces (introduced)
• Ogasawara-shoto (introduced)
• Panamá (introduced)
• Puerto Rico (introduced)
• Samoa (introduced)
• Society Is. (introduced)
• South China Sea (introduced)
• Southwest Caribbean (introduced)
• St.Helena (introduced)
• Sulawesi (introduced)
• Suriname (introduced)
• Taiwan (introduced)
• Tanzania (introduced)
• Tonga (introduced)
• Trinidad-Tobago (introduced)
• Tuamotu (introduced)
• Tubuai Is. (introduced)
• Turks-Caicos Is. (introduced)
• Uganda (introduced)
• Venezuelan Antilles (introduced)
• Wallis-Futuna Is. (introduced)
• Windward Is. (introduced)
• Zambia (introduced)
• Zaïre (introduced)
• Zimbabwe (introduced)

Additional Images

Leaf

Taken Aug 27, 2019 by Guillaume Pilon (cc-by-sa)

Taken Mar 23, 2019 by Dominique Rouet (cc-by-sa)

Taken Aug 8, 2019 by Hugo Despretz (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 27, 2021 by christiane Fazer (cc-by-sa)

Taken Mar 28, 2017 by Philippe Feldmann (cc-by-sa)

Habit

Taken Dec 6, 2020 by Sébastien TRASBOT (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 1, 2021 by Shehadi Ramiz (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 24, 2020 by Hélio Sempervirent (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 24, 2009 by EOL − Stanislav Krejčík (cc-by)

Taken Aug 8, 2019 by Stevenazzi Fabio (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Taken Jan 14, 2020 by suzuki shoko (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 24, 2021 by felice Tosetti (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jan 30, 2020 by tatipamula radhika (cc-by-sa)

Taken Aug 8, 2019 by Hugo Despretz (cc-by-sa)

Taken Mar 28, 2017 by Philippe Feldmann (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Taken May 1, 2021 by Shehadi Ramiz (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 26, 2019 by James Guiraud (cc-by-sa)

Taken Feb 9, 2017 by Konrad Bragason (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 27, 2021 by christiane Fazer (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 27, 2021 by christiane Fazer (cc-by-sa)

Bark

Taken Dec 26, 2019 by James Guiraud (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jan 11, 2021 by Fernandes trindade Julio Cesar (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 15, 2021 by Fernando da Luz Schmidt (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jul 27, 2019 by Fabio Escobar (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 9, 2016 by Mayra Maldonado (cc-by-sa)

Other

Taken Jul 3, 2016 by christiane Fazer (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 23, 2017 by christiane Fazer (cc-by-sa)

Taken Aug 18, 2019 by ARoDSC (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 4, 2016 by Eric Leeuwerck (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 23, 2017 by christiane Fazer (cc-by-sa)

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Sources

• WFO (No URL)
• IPNI (No URL)
• POWO (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:600841-1)
• GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/5420380)
• PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Psidium guajava L.)

Specifications

Growth form: Single Stem

Growth habit: Tree, Shrub

Growth rate: Moderate

Growth

Ph maximum: 7.0

Ph minimum: 5.5