1036 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



4. Psidium g-uajava L. Sp. PI. 470. 1753. 



Psidium pyriferum L. Sp. PI. ed. 2. 672. 1762. 



Psidium pomifcnwi L. Sp. PI. ed. 2. 672. 1762. 



Widely distributed in Mexico, in tlie soutliern part probably native, but in 

 places probably only naturalized ; frequent in cultivation. Southern Florida, 

 West Indies, and Central and South America ; cultivated in the Old World 

 and in many places thoroughly naturalized. 



Shrub or tree, sometimes S meters high, with a trunk 30 cm. in diameter; 

 bark scaly, reddish ; branchlets quadrangular, tomentulose ; leaves short-petio- 

 late, 5 to 15 cm. long, acute or obtuse, the upper surface tomentulose when 

 young but soon glabrate, the lateral nerves very conspicuous beneath ; pe- 

 duncles 1 to 3-flowered ; buds tomentulose or glabrate ; petals 4 or 5, white, 

 1.5 to 2 cm. long; fruit globose or pyriform, 3 to 6 cm. in diameter, yellow 

 or pinkish ; wood hard, strong, elastic, close-grained, brownish or reddish 

 gray, its specific gravity about 0.69. Known generally as " guayaba " (the 

 fruit) and " guayabo," words of Antillean origin. The following additional 

 names are reported, some of them relating to horticultural varieties : " Jalo- 

 cote " (from the Nahuatl xal-xocoil, sand sour fruit) ; "guayabo de venado " 

 (Colima; a wild form); " pichi " (Yucatan, Maya); "guayaba de China"; 

 "guayaba colorada " ; "guayaba peruana"; "guayaba perulera " (form with 

 pyriform fruit); "guayaba de gusano " (Nicaragua); "guayaba manzano " 

 (Colombia); "posh," " posh-keip " (Mixe, Belmar; former the fruit, latter 

 the plant); " enandi " (Tarascan, Le6n) ; "poos," " poos-cuy " (fruit and 

 tree; Zoque, Gon::ales) ; " bayabas " (Philippines, a Tagalog corruption of the 

 word guayaba). 



The name Psidium pomiferuui relates to the form with globose fruit ; 

 P. pyrifertim to that with pyriform fruit. 



The guava is one of the most widely known of tropical fruits, and by 

 many persons it is highly esteemed. The fruit varies greatly in size ; the 

 flesh is whitish, yellowish, or pink, full of large seeds, of sweetish or some- 

 what acid flavor. It has a remarkably strong, musky odor, which is penetrat- 

 ing and persistent. The fruit is rather insipid when raw, and it is more 

 commonly eaten cooked, stewed or made into jelly, paste, preserves, and 

 confections. Guava jelly, particularly, is a noted delicacy. Another species, 

 P. cattleianum Sabine, the strawberry guava, a native of Brazil, with glabrous 

 leaves, bears superior fruit, in flavor suggesting a strawberry. It is grown 

 in the United States and perhaps also in parts of Mexico. 



In the warmer parts of Mexico and Central America guava bushes oiten form 

 dense thickets of considerable extent, which are known as " guayabales." The 

 seeds germinate readily, and are spread largely by domestic animals. The 

 plants possess great vitality and behave like weeds. Many Mexican localities 

 are noted for the guavas produced there, and the term " Guayabero " is some- 

 times applied to the natives of Cuernavaca, because of the abundance of 

 guavas in the vicinity. 



The wood is said to take a good polish and to be durable when in contact 

 with the soil, but the trees are usually too small for use. The bark is some- 

 times employed for tanning. A decoction of the buds is a local remedy in 

 Mexico for diarrhea ; the leaves are reputed to be a remedy for itch ; and 

 a decoction of the astringent bark is applied to ulcers and taken internally 

 for pains in the stomach. 



Guavas are mentioned by all the early writers, as, for instance, Hernandez ^ 

 and Acosta. The latter writer, with his customary pessimism, says : " It is 



' Thesaurus 84-85. 1651. 



