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Psidium guajava
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Family:
MYRTACEAE
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Citation: Psidium guajava L., Sp. Pl. 470. 1753; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 2: 468. 1878, "guayava"; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 472(334). 1919; Manilal & Sivar., Fl. Calicut 108. 1982; Mohanan, Fl. Quilon Dist. 177. 1984; Manilal, Fl. Silent Valley 103. 1988; Ramach. & V.J. Nair, Fl. Cannanore Dist. 184. 1988; Babu, Fl. Malappuram Dist. 247. 1990; Vajr., Fl. Palghat Dist. 201. 1990; M. Mohanan & Henry, Fl. Thiruvanthapuram 185. 1994; Subram., Fl. Thenmala Div. 135. 1995; Sasidh., Fl. Shenduruny WLS 125. 1997; Sivar. & Mathew, Fl. Nilambur 260. 1997; Sasidh., Fl. Chinnar WLS 130. 1999; Sasidh., Fl. Parambikulam WLS 120. 2002; Mohanan & Sivad., Fl. Agasthyamala 255. 2002; Anil Kumar et al., Fl. Pathanamthitta 214. 2005; Sunil & Sivadasan, Fl. Alappuzha Dist. 286. 2009; Ratheesh Narayanan, Fl. Stud. Wayanad Dist. 365. 2009.
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Malayalam Name(s):
Adakkapazham, Koyya, Malakkapera, Pela, Pera, Perakka
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Tamil name(s):
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English name(s):
Guava, Guajava, Common guava
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Description:
Small trees; stem smooth with pealing bark; young stem 4-angled. Leaves simple, opposite, l6-11 x 2.5-5 cm, elliptic-oblong, apex acute-apiculate, base rounded to obtuse-cuneate, hirsute on both sides when young, glabrous on ageing except the nerves, thin-coriaceous; lateral nerves prominent; petioles 0.6-1 cm long. Cymes axillary, 1-3-flowered; peduncles 0.5-1.2 cm long; pedicel short or 0. Calyx tube 4-9 mm long, ovoid, densely hirsute; lobes 4, unitedland closed in bud. Petals 4, white, 1-1.5 cm long, broadly ovate, caducous. Stamens many. Ovary globose, many-celled; ovules numerous; style subulate. Berry 3-4 cm diam., globose crowned by persistent calyx lobes; seeds many, embedded in fleshy pulp.
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Habit:
Tree
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Flowering & Fruiting:
March-May
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District(s):
All Districts
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Medicinal:
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Habitat:
Cultivated
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Distribution:
Originally from Tropical America; now naturalised in the tropics
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Aquatic:
No
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Epiphyte(s):
No
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Saprophyte:
No
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Stem parasite:
No
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Root parasite:
No
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Flower colour(s):
White, Creamy
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Weed:
No
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Monocot/Dicot:
Dicotyledonous Plants
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Exotic:
Yes
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Garden:
No
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Edible:
Yes
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Vegetable:
No
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Endemic to:
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IUCN status:
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Altitude:
50-1000
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Localities:
Parambikulam, Campshed area, Kakki hills, Ponmudi, Nadugani ghats, Vandalodu, Shenkottah, Mannar, Athirumala
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