Psidium acutangulum
Mart. ex DC.
Para guava
(c) Juan Gabriel Molano, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Juan Gabriel Molano
(c) Juan Gabriel Molano, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Juan Gabriel Molano
(c) Guillaume Léotard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The acidic fruit are eaten raw, made into jellies, or used to make drinks by diluting and sweetening the sour juice, sometimes combined with honey or sugar.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It does best in a tropical climate with a high rainfall. It grows naturally in the northern part of South America. It grows in seasonally flooded savannah.
Amazon, Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil*, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Myanmar, North America, Paraguay, Peru, SE Asia, South America, Suriname, USA, Venezuela,
How to Identify
A shrub or small tree. It grows 6-13 m tall. The trunk is 14 cm across. The new branches are angular. The leaves are simple and papery. They are 4-13 cm long. There are 6-9 pairs of side veins. The flowers are in the axils of leaves and can be single or in groups of 2-3. The fruit is medium sized and yellow. They are 5-6 cm across. The pulp is translucent and white-yellow.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 82.5 | — | — | — | — | 61 | — | — |
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed. The seeds are collected from ripe fruit that have been allowed to partly decompose and the seeds are washed out under running water. Seeds should be planted fresh in light shade. Seedlings emerge in 20-30 days.
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Sow the seed in a nursery seedbed in partial shade. A germination rate of around 80% can be expected, with the seeds sprouting within 20 - 30 days.
Medicinal Uses
The bark is astringent. A decoction is used to treat diarrhoea. An infusion of the young leaves is used as a remedy for dysentery. The fruits are used to make a tonic. Juice of the young fruits is drunk as treatment for dysentery and upset stomachs.
Other Uses
The wood is of medium-texture, straight-grained, heavy and moderately resistant to wood eating organisms. It is hard to cut and, because of its small dimensions, is generally only used for small turned objects. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Psidium acutangulum is a species of tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to South America.
Production
Plant growth is rapid. A fruit can weigh up to 250 g.
Other Information
It is also cultivated.
Notes
There are about 100-150 Psidium species. They are mostly tropical or subtropical. The fruit are high in Vitamin C with 400 mg per 100 g of pulp.
Names & Synonyms
Acute angled guava, Ampi yacu, Araca, Aracandiba, Aracandiva, Aracanduba, Araca-pera, Araca piranga, Arari, Araza, Arisa, Goiabarana, Guabira, Guava del campo, Guayaba coronilla, Guayaba del agua, Guayaba del monte, Kirimp, Malaka-chin, Pera, Puca yacu, Sach guayaba, Watragoejaba
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