Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Psidium guajava

Tūava

Common Guava

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Common Guava, Yellow Guava, Apple Guava; German Echte Guave, Guajave, Guave, Guayave, Grosse Gelbe Guajave; French Gouyave, Goyavier, Goyavier commun

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tūava (RR MT TS TW), Tūava / Tūvava (MG), Tuava (AT MH RK PK), Tuava ‘Enua (MK), Tū‘ava (AK), Guava (PL); Other Polynesian - Kuava (SAM), Tuava (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Mexico - n.S.America; EXOTIC EXOTIC circumtropical, incl. Fiji - French Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (++++) (mid-elev.)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Food (Fruit 3+); Invasive - moderate, Weed - serious

KEY FEATURES: Spreading shrub or small tree, to 5m. BARK peeling. BRANCHLETS strongly 4-angled. LEAVES opposite, simple, oval, to 15x7cm, veins conspicuous, dull green, edge smooth, tip obtuse to round, base round; stalk ~5mm. FLOWERS axillary, 1-3; ~2cmØ; petals and stamens white. FRUIT ~round to pear-shaped, 4-8cmL, sepals persistent, ripen yellow, pulp pink to cream; edible. SEEDS many, 100-500.

Enlarged Image of 'Psidium guajava'

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
++++
++++
++++
++++
+++
+++
+
-
-

Northern Group: Present
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
+
P
+
+
-
-

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Psidium guajava Linnaeus, 1753
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Myrtales; MYRTACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Food (Fruit 3+). Comments: MATERIAL: Wood brittle, light red, firm.
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Invasive - moderate, Weed - serious. Comments: A moderate invasive in the inland fernlands. Often forms very dense thickets on waste and long-fallow areas. Very persistent, and its removal requires heavy machinery.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.972 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.632 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.923 Hortus 3rd
p.948 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.460 Tropica
p.3/307 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.280 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.83 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.408c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.95 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02, zupD05b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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