Psidium cattleianum

Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum Sabine; widely written P. cattleianum in horticultural sources) is a compact evergreen guava relative grown for its aromatic red or yellow fruit. Kew's Plants of the World Online currently accepts P. cattleyanum, while the University of Florida's horticultural and invasive-plant references use P. cattleianum.^[1][2]

Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum)
Unripe strawberry-guava fruit. Photo by YuriNikolai, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Scientific name	Psidium cattleyanum Sabine
Common names	Strawberry guava, cattley guava, cherry guava
Genus	Psidium
Family	Myrtaceae
Order	Myrtales
Fruit type	Berry
Growth form	Evergreen shrub or small tree
Native range	Eastern and southern Brazil to northeastern Uruguay
Climate and hardiness	Tropical to warm subtropical; UF/IFAS lists USDA zones 10A–11
Mature size	Up to about 8 m; often 3–4.5 m in landscapes
Soil and water	Acid or alkaline sand, loam, or clay if well drained; moderate drought tolerance once established
Sun and humidity	Full sun to partial shade; airflow is useful in humid plantings
Propagation	Seed or air-layering; suckers may also spread the plant
Germination	Seeds germinate easily and rapidly in the UF/IFAS account
Years to fruit	7–8 years from seed in the UF/IFAS account; other plants may differ
Pollination	N/A in the sources consulted
Fruit and harvest	Round to obovoid purple-red berry, usually 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm); UF/IFAS reports year-round fruiting and a July peak in its Florida example

Description

Strawberry-guava trees in a cultivated planting at Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead, Florida. Photo by Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Strawberry guava is an upright, multi-branched evergreen shrub or small tree. The bark is smooth and gray-brown to reddish brown, often peeling in thin sheets. Leaves are opposite or nearly opposite, simple, entire, leathery, and elliptic to obovate, with a darker upper surface and paler underside. UF/IFAS describes plants as capable of reaching about 25 ft (7.6 m), although specimens are often 10–15 ft (3–4.5 m).^[2]

The flowers are white, about 1 in (2.5 cm) across, and have conspicuous numerous stamens. They are produced singly or in small groups at the leaf axils. The fruit is a fleshy berry, round to obovoid and typically purple-red when ripe; the pale flesh is described as sweet-tart, with numerous small seeds.^[2][3]

The name strawberry guava is sometimes applied loosely to related Psidium plants. The accepted name and the older P. cattleianum spelling should be kept distinct from lemon guava and from common guava (Psidium guajava).

Distribution and habitat

Kew records Psidium cattleyanum as native from eastern and southern Brazil to northeastern Uruguay, where it grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.^[1] The sources consulted do not establish one narrowly defined native soil or moisture regime. In cultivation, the species accepts a broad range of soil textures, but productive plants still need aerated drainage rather than permanently waterlogged roots.

The species has been planted widely in tropical and subtropical regions. UF/IFAS documents escape from cultivation, seed dispersal by animals, and dense stands formed partly through suckering in invaded habitats; this is a site-specific management issue rather than a description of every cultivated tree.^[3]

Cultivation

Soil and water

UF/IFAS lists tolerance of sand, clay, and loam, as well as acidic and alkaline soils, provided drainage is adequate. Richer soil improves fruit quality. Plants are moderately drought-tolerant once established, but regular moisture during establishment and fruit development, together with organic mulch, supports steadier growth. The native-range sources used here do not document a single characteristic soil, so a precise native pH or substrate should not be inferred.^[2]

Sun and humidity

Full sun or partial shade is reported in the UF/IFAS cultivation account. Full sun generally favors fruit quality, while partial shade can be useful during establishment or in hot sites. Kew places the species mainly in the seasonally dry tropical biome; in humid climates, leave enough spacing for airflow around the evergreen canopy.^[1][2]

Seasonal changes

UF/IFAS reports flowers and fruit through the year, with the heaviest flowering in April and a prominent red-fruit crop in July in its Florida example. Those dates are not a universal calendar: temperature, rainfall, latitude, and pruning history can shift flowering and ripening. In a seasonally dry setting, maintain moisture during the dry period when fruit is sizing, then avoid keeping cool-season or container roots saturated.^[2]

Temperature and size control

UF/IFAS places the plant in USDA zones 10A–11 and describes moderate growth. Pruning is usually light; when size must be controlled, prune after fruiting. The species can be grown as a container or patio plant, but suckers and volunteer seedlings should be removed where they are not wanted.^[2]

Propagation

Seeds germinate easily and rapidly according to UF/IFAS, but seedlings are not guaranteed to match a selected fruiting plant. The same source lists air-layering as an alternative. Suckering is documented in invaded populations; a sucker can preserve the parent genotype, but it also requires management where spread is undesirable.^[2][3]

The UF/IFAS account reports seven or eight years to fruit for seedlings. That is the documented figure retained here; the timing of grafted, layered, or unusually vigorous plants is not treated as a universal value.

Flowering, fruiting, and harvest

A cultivated strawberry-guava specimen at the Jardin botanique du Val Rahmeh, Menton, France. Photo by Daderot, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Flowers may appear sporadically through much of the year, with a heavier April bloom in the UF/IFAS Florida account. The same source describes fruiting as year-round and notes a July ripening period for bright-red fruit. Pick fruit for eating before fruit-fly larvae become established; ripe fruit can be messy when it falls and softens quickly.^[2]

The sources consulted do not provide a reliable species-wide pollination requirement. Insect visitation is plausible for the conspicuous flowers, but a self-fertility claim is omitted rather than generalized from another guava.

Fruit and uses

Ripe strawberry guava is eaten fresh and can be processed into juice, jam, jelly, syrup, or desserts. The pale flesh is sweet-tart in the UF/IFAS description. Fruit size, skin color, flavor, and seediness vary among plants; the yellow-fruited form should not be assumed to be a formally named cultivar without provenance or cultivar evidence.^[2][4]

Pests and diseases

UF/IFAS reports no major pest or disease problem for the tree itself in its landscape account, but fruit-fly larvae can damage the crop. In regions where the plant has naturalized, birds and other animals disperse seeds, and mechanical cutting can stimulate additional suckering.^[2][3]

Commentary

Growers are invited to share observations about strawberry guava on the talk page, especially climate, provenance, propagation method, plant age, flowering season, fruit color, and fruit quality. Notes from both container plants and in-ground trees are useful when they include the growing conditions.

Photos

Plant habit with pale unripe fruit; the Commons record identifies this as the yellow-fruit variety photographed at Piiholo, Maui. Photo by Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

References

1. ↑ Plants of the World Online: Psidium cattleyanum Sabine, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Accessed 2026-08-24.
2. ↑ Gilman, E. F. et al. 2018. ENH-687/ST529: Psidium cattleianum: Strawberry Guava, UF/IFAS Extension. Revised December 2018; accessed 2026-08-24.
3. ↑ UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: Psidium cattleianum, accessed 2026-08-24.
4. ↑ Useful Tropical Plants: Psidium cattleianum, accessed 2026-08-24.

Image credits

• Unripe fruit: YuriNikolai, CC0.
• Fruit and Spice Park planting: Daderot, CC0.
• Val Rahmeh specimen: Daderot, public domain.
• Yellow-fruit variety plant habit: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0.