Description

Guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Carribbean, Central America and South America. It is easily pollinated by insects; when cultivated, it is pollinated mainly by the common honey bee, Apis mellifera.

Characteristics:

Guava is a small tree, up to 33 ft tall, with spreading branches, easily recognized because of its smooth, thin, copper-colored bark that flakes off, showing the greenish layer beneath; and also because of the attractive, "bony" aspect of its trunk which may in time attain a diameter of 10 in. Faintly fragrant white flowers, borne singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils, are 2.5 across, with 4 or 5 white petals which are quickly shed, and a prominent tuft of about very many white stamens tipped with pale-yellow anthers. The fruit, exuding a strong, sweet, musky odor when ripe, may be round, ovoid, or pear-shaped, 5-10 cm long, with 4 or 5 protruding sepals at the top, and thin, light-yellow skin, frequently blushed with pink. Guava is native to the Caribbean, Central America and South America, widely cultivated across the world.

Medicinal Uses:

Guava is well known tropic tree grown in tropic areas for fruit. It is found to be effective in diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis, hypertension, diabetes, caries, pain relief, cough, oral ulcers and to improve locomotors coordination and liver damage inflammation. Fresh leaves of about 500 gms are boiled in 200ml of water for 10 minutes. The decoction is drenched twice daily for 4-5 days to cattle as cure for dysentery.