ABSTRACT
The guava is a tropical to subtropical evergreen shrub or tree to 10 m (33 ft.) high. The fruit has a strong, sweet, musky odor when ripe. Guava fruit is apple or pear shaped, 2.5 to 10 cm (1-4 in.) in diameter, with §oral remnants at the tip. The skin of the immature fruit is green and ripens to light-yellow, often with pinkish shading. Under the thin skin, there is a layer of granular §esh, 3 to 13 mm (1/8-1/2 in.) thick, which is white, yellowish, pink, or reddish, acidic or sweet, and juicy. Inside this §eshy layer is the central pulp, which is the same color, juicy, and usually lled with very hard, yellowish, small seeds, or occasionally lacking seeds. The fruits generally weigh 100 to 450 g (1/4-1 lb.) but sometimes are 900 g (2 lb.) or more. The guava is thought to be native from southern Mexico to Central America. At the time of the Spanish conquest, it was found from Peru to Mexico. Early Spanish and Portuguese colonizers brought it to the East Indies and Guam, and it became a crop in Asia and Africa. India and Mexico are by far the world’s largest producers. Guava is now also cultivated in Hawaii, southern Florida, and (to a lesser extent) California. There are more than 150 cultivated varieties. The guava is so important in hot areas of the world that it is commonly called “the apple of the tropics.” In temperate areas, guavas are luxury items which need to be rapidly transported to stores because they do not keep well.
