Agroforestree Database

Local names:
 English (guavasteen,New Zealand banana,horn of plenty,Brazilian guava,fig guava,pineapple guava), German (fejoa,ananasguave), Portuguese (feijoa,goiaba abacaxí,goiaba verde,goiaba serrana), Spanish (guayaba pina,guayabo chico,guayabo del pais,guayabo gra

Feijoa sellowiana is a shrub or small tree, 3-6 m in height and very branchy. Trunk cylindrical, peeling off in small pieces. Bark pale grey; branches spreading, swollen at the nodes, white-hairy when young.

Leaves evergreen, thick, leathery, opposite, short petioled, bluntly elliptical; 2-6 cm long and 1-3 cm wide; smooth, glossy on upper surface and finely veined, silvery underneath.

Flowers conspicuous, 4 cm wide, bisexual, borne singly or in cluster, stamens long, erect purple or bright red, topped with large, round, yellow anthers; petals 4, oval, fleshy; white tinged with purple on the inside, 1-2 cm long; sepals 4, persistent.

Fruits 5-8 cm long, 3-7 cm in diameter; variable in shape from round to elongated pear shape, with the persistent calyx segments adhering to the apex. Skin waxy, dull blue-green to blue or greyish green, sometimes with a red or orange blush; texture varies from smooth to rough and pebbly. Flesh thick, white, granular, watery; central pulp translucent, enclosing the seeds; sweet or subacid, suggesting a combination of pineapple and guava or pineapple and strawberry flavor, often with overtones of winter green or spearmint. The fruit emits a strong long-lasting perfume, even before it is fully ripe. 

There are usually 20-40, occasionally as many as 100, very small, oblong seeds hardly noticeable when the fruit is eaten.

It is the best known of the 3 species in the genus which the German botanist, Ernst Berger, named after Don da Silva Feijoa, a botanist of San Sebastian, Spain. The specific name honors F. Sellow, a German who collected specimens in the province of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.

Ecology

The feijoa needs a subtropical climate with low humidity. The plant thrives where the weather is cool part of the year and it can withstand temperatures as low as -11.11ºC. It is drought-resistant but needs adequate water for fruit production. The feijoa can tolerate partial shade and slight exposure to salt spray.

The species is widely distributed in the southern part of South America, from lat. 26°S in southern Paraná in Brazil, to lat. 35°S in Uruguay, including northeastern Argentina and southern-central Paraguay. In Brazil there are still wild populations in forests (gallery) and deforested areas on sites at altitudes over 500 m. At these sites, the summer is hot and rainy and the winter reaches temperatures of 0 to 8°C, sometimes dropping to -4°C.

Native range
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay

Tree management

When 60 to 80 cm in height, they are transplanted at a distance of 6 x 3 m or 6 x 2 m, which will give 550 to 850 saplings per hectare. With an average production of 1000 fruits per adult tree and fruits weighing 30 to 60 g, these densities produce yields ranging from 16 to 50 tonnes per hectare. Feijoas respond well to pruning and can easily be shaped to any desired form. The shrubs may be set 1.5 m apart to form a barrier hedge; 1 m apart in a compact foundation planting.

The feijoa requires little care beyond good soil preparation before planting. Subsequent cultivation is inadvisable because of the plant's shallow, fibrous root system which should be left undisturbed. If planted for its fruit, fertilizer should be low in nitrogen to avoid excessive vegetative growth.
Thinning permits easier harvesting. When grown as a hedge, the feijoa responds well to heavy pruning or shearing, but this reduces flower and fruit production.

Seeds are recalcitrant. They are separated by squeezing the seedy pulp into a container, covering with water, and letting the liquid stand for 4 days to ferment. The seeds are then strained out and dried before sowing. The seeds will retain viability for a year or more if kept dry. Germination takes place in 3 weeks.

The feijoa needs a subtropical climate with low humidity. The plant thrives where the weather is cool part of the year and it can withstand temperatures as low as -11.11ºC. It is drought-resistant but needs adequate water for fruit production. The feijoa can tolerate partial shade and slight exposure to salt spray.

The species is widely distributed in the southern part of South America, from lat. 26°S in southern Paraná in Brazil, to lat. 35°S in Uruguay, including northeastern Argentina and southern-central Paraguay. In Brazil there are still wild populations in forests (gallery) and deforested areas on sites at altitudes over 500 m. At these sites, the summer is hot and rainy and the winter reaches temperatures of 0 to 8°C, sometimes dropping to -4°C.

Feijoas are propagated from seed, layering, cutting and grafting. Propagation from seed produces very heterogeneous plants. Consequently, this method is used only in the production of rootstock and in small domestic gardens. Seeds are sown fresh, either in seedbeds, using the conventional technique, or directly into 30 x 20 cm polyethylene bags. They are transplanted into the nursery at a distance of 1 x 0.40 m until they reach a height of 60 to 80 cm, or are grafted with selected varieties. Soil should be sterilized to avoid damping-off. The young plants are transplanted to pots when they have produced their second leaves.

Erosion control:  The shallow root system holds soil and prevents erosion.

  The fresh fruit is widely consumed because of its characteristic flavour and aroma, which are similar to pineapple. The fleshy petals of its beautiful flowers are also appreciated. In addition, there is a wide variety of industrialized products on the market in the form of paste, jam, crystallized fruits, preserves in syrup and liqueur. The flesh can be used in the soft drinks and ice-cream industries.

Timber:  The wood is dense, hard and brittle.

Shade or shelter:  Feijoa is planted as a windbreak around wind-sensitive crops.

Ornamental:  The foliage is attractive at all seasons and is planted as an ornamental. They also make an excellent foundation planting, either singly or as an informal hedge.

When planted close together, the shrubs make a nice hedge, screen, or windbreak.