The early Spanish explorers of the 1500s found Strawberry Guava, Acca sellowiana O., growing as a native tree in America, where they were firmly established from Mexico southward to Peru. History records that Seminole Indians were growing guava trees in Northern Florida in 1816.
Strawberry Guava, Acca sellowiana O., can grow into trees 25 feet tall and frequently they are planted by homeowners as a privacy hedge that is easily trimmed or grown as an untrimmed windbreak. The guava tree can be trained to single or multiple trunks by pruning and will grow into an excellent specimen plant that is covered with exotic flowers during late spring. The wood is gray in color, and the grain is very hard and dense. The leaves are small, distinctly colored flat green, making the plants easily recognized at a distance.
The guava tree or shrub is slow growing and requires the planting of two plants for cross-pollination. The tree is cold hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit and is salt water tolerant. Bees and hummingbirds visit the red and yellow flowers, and the pollination visits result in a heavy fruit set.
The guava fruit is classified as a berry by most botanists, and it...