Guava

Excellent multi-purpose tree for edible landscaping, providing shade, windbreak, and privacy screening. Grows 10-30 feet tall with attractive peeling bark and evergreen foliage. Can be pruned as a hedge or trained as a small ornamental tree. Self-fertile varieties available for small gardens.

Leaves traditionally used as tea for diarrhea, dysentery, and stomach ailments due to high tannin content. Leaf extracts show antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Used in traditional medicine for wound healing, mouth ulcers, and toothaches. Young leaves chewed for bad breath.

Fruits eaten fresh or made into jellies, jams, juices, and paste. Very high in vitamin C (4-5 times more than oranges) and pectin. Pink varieties rich in lycopene. Can be used in smoothies, desserts, chutneys, and savory dishes. Leaves used to flavor barbecued meats in some cultures.

Native to tropical Americas, now cultivated worldwide in warm climates. Attracts bees, butterflies, and fruit-eating birds. Can become invasive in some tropical regions due to bird-dispersed seeds. Tolerates various soil types but prefers well-drained conditions. Drought-tolerant once established.

Evergreen shrub or small tree with smooth, copper-colored bark that flakes off in thin sheets. Opposite, simple leaves 3-6 inches long with prominent veins. White flowers with numerous stamens. Round to pear-shaped fruits, green to yellow when ripe, with white, pink, or red flesh containing numerous small hard seeds.

Wood is moderately hard and durable, used for tool handles, combs, and small carved items. Good for firewood and charcoal production. Not typically used for construction timber due to small trunk diameter, but suitable for fence posts and small implements.

Name derives from the Taíno word 'guayabo'. Some varieties produce seedless fruits. Guava wood is traditionally used for smoking meats. The fruit's aroma can be detected from far distances when ripe. Archaeological evidence suggests cultivation by indigenous peoples for over 2,500 years in Peru.