Pineapple guava

Acca sellowiana

Acca sellowiana 02 by Digigalos (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Evergreen, perennial, flowering shrub or small tree that is widely cultivated as an ornamental and fruiting tree. The green, egg-shaped fruit, matures in autumn and is roughly the size of a chicken egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavor, which is very strong and complex, with tastes like strawberry, pineapple, apple and mint. The fruit pulp resembles the closely related guava, and is used in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Feijoa fruit has a distinctive, potent smell that resembles that of a fine perfume. A feijoa may be used as an interesting addition to a fruit smoothie or may be used to make wine or cider and feijoa-infused vodka. The feijoa pulp is used in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant.

Planning

Difficulty

Moderate

Flowering time

Spring

Fruiting time

Autumn

Harvesting

The fruit falls to the ground when ripe and at its fullest flavor, but it may be picked from the tree prior to falling to prevent bruising. When grown from seed, feijoas are noted for extremely slow growth during their first year or two.

Propagation

Seed

Sow seeds in Summer and germination time around 3 weeks.

Special features

Attractive flowers

Pretty pink and red flower petals are edible.

Geography

Origin

South America

Natural climate

Warm-temperate to Sub-tropical plant that also will grow in the tropics

Environment

Light

Full Sun

Soil moisture

Moist

Soil type

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Soil PH preference

Neutral

Frost hardiness

Hardy

Uses

Edible

The flower petals are edible, with a slightly sweet flavor with hints of cinnamon. The most common use is as an addition to salads. The fruit itself is eaten fresh.

Notes

The feijoa pulp is used in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Edible fruit.