FRUITS OF THE MYRTLE FAMILY 275 



Cape Canaveral on the east, but has been grown even farther 

 north. If frozen down to the ground, the plant sends up 

 sprouts which make rapid growth and produce fruit in two 

 years. In California the species has not become common, as 

 it has in Florida, nor is it suited to so wide a range of territory 

 in the former as in the latter state. Accordingly it can only 

 be grown successfully in California in protected situations. 

 At Hollywood, at Santa Barbara, at Orange, and in other 

 localities it grows and fruits well, although occasional severe 

 frosts may kill the young branches. 



Guayaba is the common name of Psidium Guajava throughout 

 the Spanish-speaking parts of tropical America. The French 

 have adopted this in the form goyave, the Germans as guajava, 

 and the Portuguese as goiaba. The latter name is used in Brazil, 

 where the indigenous name (Tupi language) is araqd guaqu 

 (large arau) . In the Orient there are many local names, some 

 of them derived from the American guayaba. The commonest 

 Hindustani name, amrud, means "pear." The term safari am, 

 meaning "journey mango," is also current in Hindustani. 



The two species Psidium pyriferum and P. pomiferum of 

 Linnaeus are now considered to be the pear-shaped and round 

 varieties of P. Guajava. They represent two of the many 

 variations which occur in this species. The pear-shaped forms 

 are often called pear-guava, and the round ones apple-guava. 

 A large white-fleshed kind was formerly sold by Florida nursery- 

 men under the name Psidium guineense, and in California as 

 P. guianense; but it is now known to be a horticultural form 

 of P. Guajava , as is also a round, red-fleshed variety introduced 

 into California under the name P. aromaticum. The true P. 

 guineense, Sw. (see below) has been itself confused with P. 

 Guajava, but can be distinguished from it by its branchlets, 

 which are compressed-cylindrical in place of quadrangular, 

 and by the number of the transverse veins, which is less than 

 in the latter-named species. 



