Acca sellowiana
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"Feijoa" redirects here. For the genus formerly known as Feijoa, see
Acca (plant).
, a species of
flowering plant in the
myrtle family,
Myrtaceae, is native to the highlands of southern
Brazil, eastern
Paraguay,
Uruguay, northern
Argentina, and
Colombia.
[1] It is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree and for its fruit. Common names include
feijoa (
,
,
[2] or
),
[3] pineapple guava and
guavasteen, although it is not a true
guava.
[4] It is an
evergreen,
perennial 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.
[4] It has been nicknamed "pineapple guava", "Brazilian guava", "fig guava" or "guavasteen" among different countries.
[4]
Fruit
The fruit, known as
Feijoa maturing in autumn, 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.
[4]
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.
[5]
Growing conditions
It is a warm-
temperate to
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, this 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 90 °F (32 °C) 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 fruit is maturing.
Cultivation
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, and
California.
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: the
Pacific Northwest, the southernmost
Appalachian Mountains, and the immediate coastal region from
North Carolina to
Delaware all would warrant further investigation.
Feijoa orchard with fallen ripe fruit.
Dax, Landes, southwestern France
Quantities of the fruit are grown in
New Zealand where it is a popular garden tree and commonly available in season from March to June.
[6][7] 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.
[8]
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 in 1986.
[9]
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.
[4]
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.
[4] They also may be frozen for up to one year without a loss in quality.
Consumption
Nutrition
100 grams 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. Feijoa
may be torn or bitten in half and the contents squeezed out and
consumed. An alternative method is to bite the end off and then tear the
fruit in half length ways, exposing a larger surface with less
curvature and using one's teeth to scrape the pulp out closer to the
skin.
A feijoa may be used as an interesting addition to a fruit
smoothie,
and may be used to make wine or cider and feijoa-infused vodka. The
flavour is aromatic, strong and complex, inviting comparison with
guava,
strawberry,
pineapple, and often containing a faint
wintergreen-like aftertaste. It also is possible to buy feijoa
yogurt,
fruit drinks, jam, ice cream, and such in New Zealand. It also may be
cooked and used in dishes where one would use stewed fruit. It is a
popular ingredient in
chutney.
The very strong, complex flavour can make using feijoas, in combination
with other fruits or vegetables, a creative and complex undertaking.
Fruit maturity is not always apparent visually, as the fruits remain
the same shade of green until they are overripe or rotting. One usually
may sense ripeness, however, by giving the fruit a soft squeeze; a ripe
feijoa yields to pressure somewhat like a just-ripe
banana.
Generally, the fruit is at its optimum ripeness the day it drops from
the tree. While still hanging, it may well prove bitter; once fallen,
however, the fruit very quickly becomes overripe, so daily collection of
fallen fruit is advisable during the season.
When the fruits are immature, the seed pulp is white and opaque. It
becomes clear and gelatinous when ripe. Fruits are at their optimum
maturity when the seed pulp has turned into a clear jelly with no hint
of browning. Once the seed pulp and surrounding flesh start to brown,
the fruit is overripe, but still may be eaten, or used to make a
delicious juice, jam, or
compote.
[citation needed]
The flower petals are edible,
[4]
with a slightly sweet flavor with hints of cinnamon. The most common
use is as an addition to salads. They are regularly consumed by birds.
[10][11][12]
-
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.
- Anatoki
- Apollo
- Bambina
- Barton
- 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)
- Vista Long – noted for the long shape of its fruits, developed in Vista, CA
- Wiki Tu
References
"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
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.
Christian, Harrison (15 May 2015). "385g monster sets new feijoa record". Hawkes Bay Today. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
"New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association". New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association. Archived from the original on 21 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. 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.
External links
