Strawberry guava

Psidium littorale Raddi; P. variabile O. Berg

Shrubs or trees to 8 m; trunk reddish brown, smooth to scaly; young twigs light reddish brown to light gray, flattened, becoming subterete, older twigs usually gray, remaining ± smooth; young growth glabrous or sparsely puberulent to strigose on some floral structures, hairs whitish, most less than 0.1 mm. Leaves: petiole channeled, 2–14 × 1–2 mm, glabrous; blade drying light or dark reddish brown or grayish green, nearly concolorous, obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 5–10 × 2–5.8 cm, 1.5–2.6 times as long as wide, leathery (rubbery when fresh), midvein prominent abaxially, nearly flat to shallowly impressed adaxially, lateral veins 8–13 pairs, ascending, weak to obscure, alternating with weaker veins arising near margin and extending toward midvein, base usually attenuate to cuneate, rarely rounded, apex acute or acuminate to broadly rounded, surfaces glabrous. Inflorescences 1-flowered, borne in leaf axils, from leafless nodes, or in axils of leaflike or reduced bracts; bracteoles ovate, lanceolate, or oblong, 1–2 mm. Flowers: bud subpyriform, 6–13 mm, apex rounded; calyx tube extended 3–7 mm beyond ovary summit, terminating in sinuate-edged terminal pore (rarely completely closed), tearing irregularly at anthe­sis, tears cutting through staminal ring; hypanthium 3–5 mm (below calyx); petals suborbiculate to elliptic, 3–6 mm; disc within staminal ring ca. 4–6 mm across; stamens 280–400, 3–8 mm; anthers 0–1 mm; style 4–8 mm; stigma ca. 1 mm wide; ovary 3- or 4-locular; placenta reflexed; ovules ca. 12–25 per locule. Berries red or yellow, pyriform to subglobose, 15–30 mm. Seeds few–100, round to subreniform, ca. 5 mm, smooth.

Flowering spring. Disturbed areas; 0–15 m; introduced; Fla.; South America (Brazil); introduced also in Pacific Islands (Hawaii).

Psidium cattleyanum is known in the flora area from the central and southern peninsula and is commonly cultivated for its edible fruit.