purple strawberry guava (Psidium littorale Raddi)
Taxonomic name: Psidium cattleianum Sabine
Synonyms: Psidium cattleianum var. littorale (O. Berg) Fosb., Psidium littorale Raddi
Common names: cattley guava (English), cherry guava (English), Chinese guava (English), Erdbeer-Guave (German), gargoulette (French-Reunion (La Réunion)), gouyavier (French-Reunion (La Réunion)), goyave de Chine (French), kuahpa (Pohnpei), ngguava (Fiji), purple strawberry guava (English), strawberry guava (English), tuava tinito (French Polynesia), waiawi (Hawai'i)
Organism type: tree, shrub
Psidium cattleianum is native to Brazil, but has been naturalised in Florida, Hawaii, tropical Polynesia, Norfolk Island and Mauritius for its edible fruit. It forms thickets and shades out native vegetation in tropical forests and woodlands. It has had a devastating effect on native habitats in Mauritius and is considered the worst plant pest in Hawi, where it has invaded a variety of natural areas. It benefits from feral pigs (Sus scrofa) which, by feeding on its fruit, serve as a dispersal agent for its seeds. In turn, the guava provides favourable conditions for feral pigs, facilitating further habitat degradation.
Description
Evergreen shrub or small tree up to 8m tall. Mature branches are gray to reddish-brown with peeling bark and young branches are round and pubescent. Leaves are opposite, simple, entire, glabrous, elliptic to oblong, to 8cm (3 in) long. Flowers to 2.5cm (1.2 in) wide, born singly at leaf axils, with white petals and numerous white and yellow stamens. Fruit is a globose berry, 3-6cm (1.2-2.4 in) long, purple-red, with whitish flesh, usually sweet-tasting when ripe; seeds are numerous.
Occurs in:
agricultural areas, coastland, natural forests, planted forests, range/grasslands, riparian zones, ruderal/disturbed, scrub/shrublands, urban areas, wetlands
Habitat description
Psidium cattleianum is found on various Polynesian and Micronesian islands where it occurs as an introduced species on both disturbed land and in native ecosystems. Habitats it is found in include: sub-montane rainforest, montane cloud forest, montane rainforest, moist tropical montane forest, tropical ravine/riperian forest, tropical evergreen forest, deciduous woodland (oak), tropical montane savanna, lowland sub-tropical rainforest, scrub land, grass land, degraded forest, cultivation and agro-forestry (Mauremootoo Dr. J.).
Uses
The strawberry guava is a shrub naturalised in several subtropical areas. It produces sweet and aromatic fruit, which are appreciated by the inhabitants of La Réunion Island. Processing industries are supplied by fruit gathered from the wild. As strawberry guava thrives in humid areas where the farming potential is low, its cultivation could be a means of providing additional income to farmers, while also establishing a steady supply of fruit to industry and to markets (Normand 2002).
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