Guava (Psidium guajava) -Fruits of Kerala, India

March 24th, 2007 | admin

Guava is a common fruit found throughout Kerala. The main variety of guava cultivated and sold in Kerala is Psidium guajava or apple guava. It is a very fleshy fruit with a lot of rounded seeds within the fruits, which are not removed before taking the fruit. The skin is very thin and skinning is not necessary.

Guava trees are small shrubby evergreen trees, with a lot of strong branches. Smooth bark which occasionally flakes off is a characteristic of this tree. The leaves are slightly aromatic when crushed. White flowers appear towards the end of small branches, either as single or in a small cluster. Each flower bears numerous white needle-like stamens, which accommodate creamy anthers.

 The fruits are fleshy, sweet and emanate a slight but pleasant odor and bear the floral remnants on the lower end.

The fruit contains fiber, proteins, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorous, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B3, B4, etc.

Natural propagation is by birds and small animals. The seeds are hard and donÂ’t get digested when consumed by them and dropped at far places. Cultivation also is by sowing seeds. The seeds are boiled for five minutes to facilitate quick germination. The hard outer covering ensures the seed is not destroyed by the treatment. Other methods of softening the seed cover are sulfuric acid treatment or soaking in water for two weeks.

Another method of cultivation is root cuttings. Sometimes the root is simply cut at a distance from the tree. A new sprout emerges from the point, where the root is separated from the tree.

Psidium guajava belongs to the family Myrtaceae.