PROMISING NEW GUAVA VARIETIES
(7) that "it takes a very courageous soul to
go into ecstasies over the merits of the fruit,"
Geo. D. Ruehle
Sub-Tropical Experiment Station
and many dislike extremely the strong pene
trating odor of the average common guava. It
is true that the fruit from the average wild
tree is almost worthless for use as dessert
fruit. On the other hand, individual seedlings
of superior quality may be found in almost any
large planting of guavas. It is natural that
an extreme variation in type and quality of
fruit should exist in a species which has been
grown from seed for many years under widely
different soil and climatic conditions.
The guava has been neglected by horticul
turists and plant breeders until quite recently.
A start has now been made in California and
Florida in the selection and propagation of
superior varieties. A beginning has also been
made in the systematic crossing of desirable
strains in an effort to create more desirable
Homestead
The common guava, Psidium guajava L., is
native to the American Tropics, from where it
has spread to tropical and subtropical areas
throughout the world. It very readily propa
gates itself by seeds and has become natural
ized in many regions even to the extent of
becoming a weed pest (7).
Fruit from the wild plants generally is of
inferior quality, but is utilized in the manufac
ture of various guava products, the most com
mon and well known being the almost univer
sally liked guava jelly. The fruit may be proc
essed in many other ways. It may be canned
or preserved, or made into butters, pastes, rel
ishes, or drinks (9).
During the war military demands for cheap
sources of vitamin C to fortify rations used by
the armed forces brought the guava into prom
types. A great deal of such work is necessary
inence, since this fruit is one of the best
known natural sources of ascorbic acid. The
fruit is also valuable for its high acid and
pectin content. Guava puree has been added
to berries, grapes, pineapples and other fruits
to raise the level of these properties in the
final products. The addition of guava is said
to improve the flavor of such combination
fruit products. According to Coit (1), "A
highly concentrated puree or paste is finding
increased use in this country as a component
part of various confections, notably children's
candy bars." It is probable that the guava with
its unique combination of desirable character
istics will find wider use in the future in the
processing of various fruit products both in
the home and in processing plants.
The guava
use as a fresh
dividuals who
this fruit are
1946
does not rate very highly for
fruit. The great majority of in
have become acquainted with
willing to agree with Popenoe
if the guava is to be raised to the position it
deserves in commercial and home plantings.
The writer feels that the chances for success
in such work with the guava are very good.
The first guava variety to attract attention
in Florida was the Redland, described in 1941
by Lynch and Wolfe (2). Fruit of this variety
from young trees is very large (up to 16
ounces), firm, white fleshed, with relatively
few seeds and with little of the strong odor
characteristic of most of the common guavas.
Subsequent study revealed that its foliage and
fruit are extremely susceptible to spotting by
the red alga, Cephaleuros virescens Kuntze (8),
that the ascorbic acid content of its fruit is very
low for guavas (3), and that fruit from older
trees is quite variable in size. Since its flavor
is very mild and is rated as inferior to fruit
of some of the newer selections, the Redland
is no longer recommended unless one desires
an especially mild flavored guava.
Three newer selections made at the SubTropical Experiment Station are superior to
(127)
128
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1946
the Redland in quality and possess sufficient
merit to be propagated for distribution by
nurserymen. They are described herein for the
first time.
Supreme
Origin. The Supreme guava is a seedling
selection from seed planted in 1936 by the
writer. The original tree is at 9 N.E. 14th
Street, Homestead, Florida, where it was
planted in 1938, and several grafted trees are
growing at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Sta
tion.
Pig-. 1.
Tree. The tree is a vigorous grower, becom
ing quite large, spreading, with a fairly dense
top. The foliage and fruit show a high degree
of resistance to algal spotting.
Description of fruit. Form oval to broadly
pyriform, sometimes indistinctly grooved and
surface somewhat rugose (Fig. 1) ; size vari
able, usually medium to large, weight 5 to 16
ounces, averaging 6 to 10 ounces; skin color
greenish yellow to light yellow when fully
ripened; flesh white, moist, fine grained, mildly
aromatic, with sidewalls 1/2 inch or more in
thickness; flavor mild, sub-acid; seed cavity
Supreme guava.
RUEHLE:
NEW
GUAVA VARIETIES
129
small, making up 16 to 21% of the weight of
Inventory (4), the seed from which the Lenz
the
tree grew was obtained from Dominica, Brit
fruit,
separating
fairly
readily
from the
sidewalls; seeds small and few in number for
a guava; odor mild, not unpleasant; quality
good.
The
under
Supreme
favorable
guava is very productive,
conditions maturing some
fruit over a period of about 8 months with
ish West Indies, and was taken from a "large
Indian variety" which had been originally in
troduced into Dominica from India. The orig
inal Red Indian tree is growing on the Lenz
property in the Redland District, Dade County,
peaks occurring in late fall and early spring.
Florida, and several bearing grafted trees are
growing at the Sub-Tropical Experiment Sta
The thick sidewalls and good quality makes the
tion.
Supreme a good guava for home canning and
Tree. The tree is a fairly vigorous grower
a low-headed, spreading top. The
preserving and the fruit makes an acceptable
forming
jelly. The ascorbic acid content of the fruit
stems of the new shoots and the veins of the
Fig.
2.
Red
was determined by Mustard (3) to average
246.9 mg. per 100 grams of fresh fruit.
The Red
Indian
guava.
expanding new leaves typically are reddish in
color. The leaves and fruits are rather sus
ceptible to algal
Red Indian
Origin.
Indian
Description
guava
originated
as a seedling obtained by Mr. Fred Lenz in
1936 from the U.S.D.A. Plant Introduction
Garden at Coconut Grove, Florida, under S.P.I,
number 57828. According to the S.P.I. Plant
spotting.
of fruit.
Form
globose,
often
slightly flattened at each end, smooth with a
large open calyx (Fig. 2) ; size variable, us
ually medium to large, ranging from 3 to 12
ounces, mostly 4 to 8 ounces; skin color yel
low, often with a faint pinkish blush; flesh
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL
130
moist, somewhat granular, aromatic, in various
SOCIETY,
1946
Tropical Experiment Station. The latter were
shades from ruby to carmine when fully ripen
from a fruit produced at the Station from a
ed, with sidewalls 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick; flavor
seedling
sweet and mild; seed cavity rather large mak
ing up 30 to 40% of the weight of the fruit,
not separating readily from the sidewalls;
seeds numerous but rather small for a guava;
odor rather strong and pungent, but fruity and
not unpleasant; quality very good.
The Red Indian is primarily a dessert guava
for eating out of hand as a fresh fruit. It is
obtained from the U.S.D.A. Plant
Introduction Garden at Coconut Grove'in 1931
under S.P.I, number 81849. The original seed
of this introduction came from Peru according
to the S.P.I. Plant Inventory (5).
Tree. The tree is a fairly vigorous grower,
forming a low-headed, spreading top. The
stems of the new shoots and the veins of the
expanding new leaves typically are pale red-
I -
Fig.
quite
productive,
maturing its
main
3.
crop
Ruby
in
the fall and early winter months. The ascorbic
acid content averages 195 nig. per 100 grams
of fresh fruit (3).
Ruby
Origin. The Ruby guava is a seedling selec
tion from seeds planted in 1937 at the Sub-
guava.
dish in color. The leaves and fruits are moder
ately susceptible to algal spotting.
Description of the fruit. Form ovate in out
line, with surface slightly rugose (Fig. 3) ;
size variable, from 4 to 10 ounces, mostly 6
to 8 ounces; skin color greenish yellow often
with a faint pinkish blush; ftesh moist, some
what granular, aromatic, in various shades
RUEHLE:
NEW
GUAVA
from rose to ruby when fully mature, with side
walls approximately 1/2 inch thick; flavor
sweet and mild; seed cavity rather small mak
ing up 20 to 25% of weight of the fruit, sep
arating fairly readily from the sidewalls; seeds
relatively few; odor pungent and aromatic but
fruity and pleasant; quality very good.
The Ruby is an excellent dessert guava for
home use. It is good to eat out of hand and
its thick sidewalls make it excellent for can
ning or for use as a sliced table fruit. It is
a fairly heavy bearer, maturing its main crop
in the fall and early winter months. The as
corbic content of this variety has not been de
termined.
These three selections are not the only good
dessert-type guavas in Florida. We have other
selections at the Experiment Station which we
are studying and there are no doubt many other
excellent seedlings in Florida which have not
been brought to our attention. It may be ad
visable in the near future to hold one or more
guava forums in an effort to bring to light
new and better seedlings.
From the work of the late Dr. H. J. Webber
in California, several named varieties of guava
are now available in that state. We have graftwood of a number of these at the Experiment
Station. Thus far, those which have fruited
under our conditions are scarcely equal and
certainly are not superior to our own selec
tions. Technical descriptions of the California
varieties have not appeared in print to our
knowledge. Three of these were recently reg
istered as varieties with the Subtropical Fruit
Committee of the California Avocado Society
(6). The Riverside is described as a mediumlarge fruit with creamy yellow flesh and a
good flavor and has a sugar content of 9.5%.
This is the best of the California varieties
which has fruited in Florida to date. The Rolfs
is described as a mediunl-sized pink fleshed
fruit of good quality, having a sugar content
of 9%. The fruit matured under our conditions
is decidedly inferior to the Red Indian, Ruby
or Supreme. The Hart variety, which has not
borne fruit at the Experiment Station, is de
VARIETIES
131
scribed as a relatively large fruit, light yel
low in color with a sugar content of about
8%. We have made no effort to propagate the
Riverside, Rolfs or Hart varieties, but propa
gating material is available at the Station in
limited quantity to anyone interested in start
ing them.
Unfortunately for the establishment of guava
varieties in home or commercial plantings, the
common guava has proved to be difficult to
propagate by ordinary methods employed with
other fruits. We can graft large seedlings fair
ly readily, but the guava persists in suckering
below the graft union. We have had no suc
cess with stem cuttings and only very limited
success with various types of buds placed on
young seedlings. Root cuttings are fairly suc
cessful but this is a slow way to make a large
number of trees. It is our hope that some nurs
eryman who is skillful with the budding knife
will find a way to make guava trees easily and
rapidly from the good varieties. This lack of
a good method of propagating is all that now
stands in the way of satisfying a real demand
on the part of guava enthusiasts for trees of
the better varieties.
Literature Cited
1. COIT, J. ELIOT. The ubiquitous guava. Cali
fornia Avocado Society Yearbook 1945: 4142, 1945.
2; LYNCH, S. J. and H. S. WOLFE. The Redland
guava. Florida Agr. Exp. Sta. Press Bui. 562,
1941.
2. MUSTARD, MARGARET J. Ascorbic acid con
tent of some Florida grown guavas. Florida
Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 414, 1945.
4. Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction.
Inventory No. 76: No. 57828, p. 11, 1926.
5. Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction.
Inventory No. 101; No. 81849, p. 13, 1931.
6. PALMER, DEAN F. Report of Subtropical Fruit
Committee. California Avocado Society Year
book for 1945: 32-35, 1945.
7.
POPENOE, WILSON. The undeveloped field of
tropical fruit. In New Crops for the New
World, edited by Charles Morrow Wilson:
1-26. Macmillan Co. 1945.
8. RUEHLE, GEO. D. Algal leaf and fruit spot of
guava. Phytopathology 31: 95-96, 1941.
9. THURSBY, ISABELLE S. The goodly guava.
Florida Agr. Ext. Service Bui. 70, 1932.