Acca sellowiana

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Myrtales

Familia: Myrtaceae
Subfamilia: Myrtoideae
Tribus: Myrteae
Genus: Acca
Subgenus: Acca subg. Feijoa
Species: Acca sellowiana
Varietates: A. s. var. sellowiana – A. s. var. rugosa
Name

Acca sellowiana (O.Berg) Burret, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 50: 59. 1941.
Synonyms

Basionym
Orthostemon sellowianus O.Berg, Linnaea 27(4): 440. 1856, nom. inval.
Orthostemon sellowianus O.Berg in Mart. (ed.), Fl. Bras. 14(1): 467. 1857.
Homotypic
Feijoa sellowiana (O.Berg) O.Berg in Mart. (ed.), Fl. Bras. 14(1): 615. 1859.

References

Berg, Otto Karl (Carl) & Burret, (Maximilian) Karl Ewald, 1941: Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis. Centralblatt für Sammlung und Veroffentlichung von Einzeldiagnosen neuer Pflanzen. [Edited by Friedrich Fedde]. Berlin, 50: 59.
Burret, K.E.M. 1941: Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 50(1231–1235): 59.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Acca sellowiana in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
International Plant Names Index. 2017. Acca sellowiana. Published online. Accessed: 1 Mar 2017.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2019. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Taxon: Acca sellowiana. .
Tropicos.org 22103016. Acca sellowiana. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 22103016 {{{2}}} {{{3}}}.

Vernacular names
English: Feijoa
español: Feijoa
suomi: Feijoa
français: Goyavier de Montevideo
galego: Feixoa
íslenska: Joðber
русский: Фейхоа
српски / srpski: Фејоа / Fejoa
svenska: Feijoa
Türkçe: Kaymak ağacı

Feijoa sellowiana[1][2] is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is native to the highlands of southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, and Colombia.[3] It is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree and for its fruit. Common names include feijoa (/feɪˈʒoʊ.ə/,[4] /-ˈhoʊ.ə/,[5] or /ˈfiːdʒoʊ.ə/[6]), pineapple guava and guavasteen, although it is not a true guava.[7] It is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1–7 metres (3.3–23.0 ft) in height.

Etymology

Feijoa sellowiana Berg is from the genus which the German botanist, Ernst Berger, named after João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese naturalist, and the specific name honors Friedrich Sellow, a German who first collected specimens of feijoa in southern Brazil.[7] It has been nicknamed "pineapple guava", "Brazilian guava", "fig guava" or "guavasteen" among different countries.[7]
Fruit

The fruit, known as feijoa, matures in autumn and is green, ellipsoid, and about the size of a chicken egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavour, which tastes like pineapple, apple, and mint. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear, gelatinous seed pulp and a firmer, slightly granular, opaque flesh nearer the skin.[7] The fruit falls to the ground when ripe and at its fullest flavour, but it may be picked from the tree prior to falling to prevent bruising.

The fruit pulp resembles the closely related guava, having a gritty texture. The feijoa pulp is used in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Feijoa fruit has a distinctive, potent smell that resembles that of a fine perfume. The aroma is due to the ester methyl benzoate and related compounds that exist in the fruit.[8]

Growing conditions

The plant is a warm-temperate, subtropical plant that also will grow in the tropics, but requires at least 50 hours of winter chilling to fruit, and is frost-tolerant. When grown from seed, feijoas are noted for slow growth during their first year or two, and young plants, though cold tolerant, can be sensitive to high wind.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the species has been cultivated as far north as western Scotland, but under such conditions it does not fruit every year, as winter temperatures below approximately −9 °C (16 °F) kill the flower buds. Summer temperatures above 32 °C (90 °F) may also have an adverse effect upon fruit set. Feijoas are somewhat tolerant of drought and salt in soils, though fruit production can be adversely affected. Tolerant to partial shade, regular watering is essential while the fruit is maturing.

Cultivation
Young feijoa seedling

Some grafted cultivars of feijoa are self-fertile. Most are not, and require a pollinator. Seedlings may or may not be of usable quality, and may or may not be self-fertile. Feijoas will mature into a sprawly shrub, but can be kept successfully as a large container plant, though accommodations will need to be made for the width of the plants, and the need to encourage new growth for fruit production.

Feijoas are occasionally found as landscape plants in Texas, Florida, California, and the maritime Pacific Northwest. They can succeed in greenhouses in temperate parts of the United States, and have been grown in-ground as fruiting trees on the United States east coast in coastal Georgia and South Carolina as well as in California. Other regions of the United States such as the southernmost Appalachian Mountains, and the immediate coastal region from North Carolina to Delaware would warrant further investigation.
Feijoa orchard with fallen ripe fruit. Dax, Landes, southwestern France

The fruit has been widely grown in New Zealand since the 1920s, and it has become a popular garden tree. [9] It is commonly available in season from March to June.[10][11] In New Zealand, the pollinators of this plant are bees, bumblebees, and medium-sized birds. The silvereye is a pollinator in the cooler parts of the South Island; the blackbird and the Indian myna, which feeds on the sweet, fleshy flower petals, are pollinators further north. In some areas where the species has been introduced, however, the trees have been unproductive due to lack of pollinators. The shrub has very few insect pests, although guava moth is a problem in northern New Zealand.[12]

In the South Caucasus, feijoa has been cultivated in the southern coastal region of Azerbaijan since 1928; cultivation in neighboring Georgia has gradually increased to about 988 hectares (2,440 acres) in 1986.[13]

Sale and shipping

Ripe fruit is prone to bruising; difficulty maintaining the fruit in good condition for any length of time, along with the short period of optimum ripeness and full flavor, probably explains why feijoas frequently are not exported, and where grown commercially, are typically sold close to the source of the crop. However, intercontinental shipping of feijoa by sea or air has been successful.[7]

Because of the relatively short shelf life, storekeepers need to be careful to replace older fruit regularly to ensure high quality. In some countries, they also may be purchased at roadside stalls, often at a lower price.

Feijoas may be cool-stored for approximately a month and still have a few days of shelf life at optimum eating maturity.[7] They also may be frozen for up to one year without a loss in quality.
Consumption
Nutrition
Feijoa, rawNutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 230 kJ (55 kcal)
Carbohydrates

12.92 g
Sugars 8.2 g
Dietary fiber 6.4 g
Fat

0.6 g
Protein

0.98 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV†
Thiamine (B1)
1%
0.006 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
2%
0.018 mg
Niacin (B3)
2%
0.295 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
5%
0.233 mg
Vitamin B6
5%
0.067 mg
Folate (B9)
6%
23 μg
Vitamin C
40%
32.9 mg
Vitamin E
1%
0.16 mg
Vitamin K
3%
3.5 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV†
Calcium
2%
17 mg
Iron
1%
0.14 mg
Magnesium
3%
9 mg
Manganese
4%
0.084 mg
Phosphorus
3%
19 mg
Potassium
4%
172 mg
Sodium
0%
3 mg
Zinc
1%
0.06 mg
Link to USDA Database entry

Units
μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA FoodData Central

100 grams (3.5 oz) of raw feijoa provides 55 calories and is 13% carbohydrates, 8% sugars, and 1% each of fat and protein. The raw fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, providing 40% of the daily value, but supplies no other nutrients in significant amount.
Food uses

Although the skin is edible, the fruit usually is eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon. The fruit has a juicy, sweet seed pulp and slightly gritty flesh nearer the skin. The flower petals are edible.[7] The most common use is as an addition to salads. They are regularly consumed by birds.[14][15][16]

The crisp, spicy-sweet tasting petals of feijoa flowers are edible.

Spread made of mashed raw feijoa

Varieties

Numerous cultivars of feijoa have been developed. These include:

Anatoki
Apollo
Bambina
Barton
Den's Choice
Choiceana
Coolidge
Edenvale Improved Coolidge
Edenvale Late
Edenvale Supreme
Gemini
Kaiteri
Kakariki (a cultivar developed by Waimea Nurseries, New Zealand, large flavor-filled fruit, named for the Maori word for green)
Mammoth – named for its relatively massive fruits
Moore
Nazemetz
Opal Star
Pineapple Gem
Smilax – mid-sized, spherical fruits with smooth texture
Trask
Triumph
Unique (NZ cultivar, particularly tolerant of clay soils, and self pollinating)
Vista Long – noted for the long shape of its fruits, developed in Vista, CA
Wiki Tu

References

Govaerts R. (2020). "Feijoa; in Plants of the World Online". Kew.
Lucas, Eve J.; Holst, Bruce; Sobral, Marcos; Mazine, Fiorella F.; Nic Lughadha, Eimear M.; Barnes Proença, Carolyn E.; Ribeiro da Costa, Itayguara; Vasconcelos, Thais N. C. (2019). "Feijoa; In: Systematic Botany, Vol. 44(3)". American Society of Plant Taxonomists. pp. 560–69.
"Acca sellowiana". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 25 May 2013.
Brazilian Portuguese preferred pronunciation — http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/feijoa feijoa. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000
Spanish preferred pronunciation — Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
"'Citrusy aroma': how feijoas baffled a New Zealand immigrant – and polarise a nation". The Guardian. 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2021-04-04. "pronounced "fey-oa" in its native South America and "fee-jo-ah" in New Zealand"
Morton JF (1987). "Feijoa; In: Fruits of Warm Climates". Center for New Crops & Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. pp. 367–70.
Shaw GJ, Ellingham PJ & Birch EJ. 1983. Volatile constituents of feijoa-headspace analysis of intact fruit. J.Sci.Fd.Agric. 34: 743-747.
Evans, Kate (Jul 2020). "The People's Fruit" New Zealand Geographic. Kowhai Media (164). Retrieved 2 April 2021.
Christian, Harrison (15 May 2015). "385g monster sets new feijoa record". Hawkes Bay Today. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
"New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association" New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
Wakelin RH; et al. (2009). "Guava moth (Coscinoptycha improbana) mating disruption using asian peach moth (Carposina sasakii) pheromone dispensers" (PDF). Plant and Food Research, New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-14. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
Bose, T.K.; Mitra, S.K.; Sanyal, D., eds. (2001). Fruits: tropical and subtropical, Volume 2. Naya Udyog. p. 660. ISBN 978-81-85971-83-4.
"FEIJOA". crfg.org.
"Pineapple Guava; Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana) – Rose Hips; Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa; R. eglanteria)". luvnpeas.org.
"Feijoa acca sellowiana – Pineapple Guava". gardenofaedyn.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24.