Common name: Guava (English); Koejawel (Afrikaans)

Origin: Tropical America

Description

Evergreen shrub or small tree up to 6 m high, occasionally higher. Bark smooth, copper-coloured, sometimes peeling off to reveal greenish underbark; young branches four-angled and hairy. Leaves stiff, thick, hairy below, with pointed tip and conspicuous, parallel veins that are sunken above and prominent below. Flowers carried in groups of 1-3, white, with numerous stamens that give the flowers a fluffy appearance. Fruit ovoid, up to 10cm long, with persistent calyx remains at the tip, many-seeded, greenish becoming yellow, with white to yellow or pink flesh when ripe.

Discussion

Planted for the edible fruit, but very invasive along permanent water courses.