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feijoa goyave_ananas
Feijoa sellowiana The Feijoa, (Acca sellowiana, synonyms: Feijoa sellowiana, Orthostemon sellowianus) also called Brazilian Guava, Montevideo Guava, Guava-pineapple, is a fruiting shrub of the family Myrtaceae, native to South America (Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay) and can be used in hedges.
Description
The bush shrub and slow growth in the early years can reach 6 m in height.
Its trunk, reddish in color, is covered with clear bark patches.
The foliage is leathery, persistent, opposite, simple, gray-white lapel. All young shoots are covered with a kind of whitish down.
Flowering takes place in June and July. The solitary flowers are purple, white, red and fleshy. The feijoa can very well be grown for ornamental purposes. The petals of fruity, sweet and tangy flavor are edible and can bring an exotic note in salads.
The fruits, called feijoas, pineapple guavas, guavas from Brazil or guavas from Montevideo, have the shape of a green and hairless kiwi, with a green rough skin that remains even when ripe. The pulp is granular pips with a slightly tangy taste and a delicious aroma reminiscent of pineapple, guava and strawberry.
The flesh is rich in vitamin B and vitamin C.
Systematic
Although it is from the same family of Myrtaceae, it is very different from the Guava (Psidium guajava) whose fruits are guavas.
Variety
More than 90 varieties were enumerated from 11 different countries, mainly New Zealand, the United States, the former USSR, Brazil, Italy1. Few varieties are available in France.
Some cultivars for fruit production:
self-sterile: 'Robert', 'Smith', 'Superba', 'Triumph',
autofertile or partially autofertile: 'Andre', 'Apollo', 'Choiceana', 'Coolidge', 'Gemini', 'Mammoth', 'Nasemetz', 'Trask', 'Unique'.
Feijoa is not really autosterile or self-fertile. So-called self-sterile varieties are only partially self-incompatible and may in fact grow to a much lesser extent than others. The self-fertile varieties grow well in self-fertilization but often have better cross-pollination production.
The main criterion for choosing varieties is early maturity, especially in the northern areas. And it is by combining several compatible varieties that we obtain the best fructifications.
Seedling varieties usually produce small fruits but are attractive for pollination and as ornamental shrubs.
The subspecies 'Variegata' produces creamy white margined foliage.
Culture
The feijoa needs heat and light to grow. He fears the wind.
Flowering is late and frost-resistant. But fruits ripen late (late October early November in the northern hemisphere) and fear frost. The tree itself being relatively hardy, even to a temperature below -15 ° C, if the tree can grow,
it does not fructify in too cold climate, or even will not make flowers. It can very well freeze to the ground and start from the stump in the spring.
The natural port of feijoa is bushy. If you cut it in half-stem, the harvest will be less abundant. The feijoa fructifies on the twigs of the year that grow in spring.
The maturity of the fruit is not visible from the outside. Normally, the feijoas are not picked, it is the fallen fruits that are collected. At the opening of the fruit, it is good to consume if the central zone filled with seeds is gelatinous and translucent. Before maturity this area is opaque, after it turns brown. Fruits have a relatively short shelf life, which may explain their poor commercial success outside production areas.
Its lifespan can exceed 60 years.
Multiplication
Non-fruiting feijoa is usually multiplied by seed. Since the seeds are only viable for one year, the ideal is to sow in place immediately after the harvest for one emergence the following spring. Seedlings can start to bear fruit after three to five years.
To multiply a cultivar, the best solution is the layering because the graft achieves only a small percentage of success.
Cuttings are also difficult, with the best results occurring with auxine by "braising" at the end of the spring or with a heel at the end of the summer.
use
The fruits can be eaten: in fresh: collected on the ground, they must be consumed quickly because they become blets. They can be used for all kinds of desserts. The cold and the lemon slow down their transformation. canned, jams, jellies, syrups, sorbets ... their original scent can accommodate them in all kinds of ways. in sorbets
The petals, very decorative can also be eaten rather in desserts.
The foliage is used to make bouquets.
Feijoa is mainly used in northern countries for hedging. It is appreciated for its evergreen foliage and its beautiful flowers.
Nutritional value
Feijoa is rich in vitamin C and minerals. It is low in calories.