315 



East Africa, Hutchins, 1909, pp. 102-103, and pp. 117-121. A 



Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus, Maiden, Vol. i. pp. 1-349, 



with 48 plates, Vol. ii. in preparation. " Durable Hardwoods," in 



Some Notes on Tree Planting in the Shire Highlands, Purves, in 



Suppl. to the Nyasaland Govt. Gaz. 31st Jan. 1910, pp. 2-1. 



Eucalypts in Florida, Zon & Briscoe, U.S. Dept. Agric. Forest Service, 

 Bull. No. 87, 1911, pp. 1-47. 



PSIDIUM, Linn. 



Psidium Guayava, Linn. Sp. PI. (1753), p. 470. 



A small tree. Leaves ovate or elliptic oblong, more or less 

 glabrous above, pubescent below, 3-5 in. long, 1^-2 in. broad. 

 Flowers white, 1-1^ in. in diameter. Fruit globose, sometimes 

 ovoid (as in var. pomiferum) or pear-shaped (as in var. pyriferum), 

 1^-2 in. in diameter, edible, many seeded. 



III. — Rheede, Hort. Mai. iii. t. 34 (P. pyriferum), t. 35 (P. pomi- 

 ferum) ; Rumpf, Amb. i. t. 47 (Guaiavus domestical), t. 48 (P. pomi- 

 ferum) ; Ruiz, Lopez, & Pavon, Fl. Peruv. Tabulae ined. t. 418 

 (P. pyriferum) ; Lam. Encycl. t. 416, f, 1 (P. pyriferum) ; f. 2 

 (P. pomiferum) ; Tuss, Ant. ii. t. 22 (P. pomiferum) ; Diet. Sc. Nat, 

 t. 224 (P. pomiferum) ; Desc. Ant. ii. t. 72 (P. pyriferum) ; Bot. 

 Reg. (1827), t, 1079 (P. pyriferum) ; Penfold, Madeira, Fl. Fr. & 

 Ferns, t. 2 (P. pomiferum) ; Vidal, Fl. For. Filip. t. 50 B (fl. & fr.) ; 

 Queensland Agric. Journ. viii. 1901, p. 108 (outline fig. of Red or 

 Cayenne Guava) ; Freeman & Chandler, World's Coram. Prod. p. 269. 



Guava, Apple Guava, Pear Guava. 



Native of Tropical America ; naturalised in many tropical 

 countries. 



The fruit is well known as one of the best of tropical fruits. It is 

 used largely in the West Indies for making jelly, and unless some- 

 thing in the way of a preserve is made, much of the fruit is likely 

 to be wasted, as the trees when in full bearing, usually fruit very 

 profusely. " Guava Cheese " is also made from the fruit. 



The roots, shoots and leaves are astringent and antidysenteric ; in 

 French Guiana a diet drink is made with the roots and leaves 

 (Heckel, Ann. Inst. Col. Marseille, iv. 1895, p. 116). The leaves are 

 chewed to relieve toothache ; they yield 0'36 per cent, of ethereal oil 

 of specific gravity 1*069 at 15° C, and a boiling point of about 237° C. 

 lemon-yellow colour and slightly aromatic odour (Schimmel cV Co. 

 Semi-Ann. Rep. April, 1910, p. 123; Pharm. Journ. [4] xxx. 1910, 

 p. 585). In Assam the leaves and bark are used in dyeing (Watt, 

 Comm. Prod. India, p. 907). 



The wood is very tough, and is used in the West Indies for hoe- 

 handles, axe-handles, &c. (W. Indian Bull. ix. 1909, p. 336), wood en- 

 graving, spear handles and instruments ; weight 38-47 lbs. per cubic 

 foot (Gamble, Man. Ind. Timb. p. 355). According to Mahon (Cons. 

 Rep. Misc. No. 588, 1903, p. 6) it is never attacked by white ants. 



Easily propagated from seed, suckers and cuttings, grows freely 

 and quickly, and may become almost a pest. It begins to bear fruit 

 in 2 or 3 years. Stout branches take root readily and make good 

 fences. 



Ref. — " Psidium Guayava" in Diet. Econ. Prod. India, Watt, vi. 



1892, pp. 351-353. "Contribution a i'etude Bot. Chim. et Thera- 



peut. du Goyavier (Psidium pomiferum), Khouri, in Ann. Inst. Col. 



