Feijoa
237250
224408915
2008-07-08T18:48:21Z
Jaguarlaser
3680302
Category:Crops originating from the Americas
{{Taxobox
| name = Feijoa
| image = Feijoa_HortResearch.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Pineapple Guava ''Feijoa sellowiana'' fruit
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Myrtales]]
| familia = [[Myrtaceae]]
| genus = ''Feijoa''
| species = '''''F. sellowiana'''''
| binomial = ''Feijoa sellowiana''
| binomial_authority = [[O. Berg]]
}}
The '''Feijoa''' ('''''Feijoa sellowiana''''', synonym ''Acca sellowiana''), also known as '''Pineapple Guava''' or '''Guavasteen''', is an [[evergreen]] [[shrub]] or small [[tree]], 1-7 m in height, originating from the highlands of southern [[Brazil]], parts of [[Colombia]], [[Uruguay]] and northern [[Argentina]]. It has been spotted in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and both flowering and fruiting in Lafayette, Louisiana and in Charleston, South Carolina. It is widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree in [[New Zealand]].
==Description of fruit and plant==
[[Image:feijoas on white.jpg|thumb|left|Whole and cut feijoas.]]
The [[fruit]] matures in [[autumn]] and is green, ellipsoid-shaped and the size of a chicken egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavor. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly-like seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked from the tree prior to the drop to prevent bruising. This plant is [[monotypic]] in its [[genus]]. Like the closely-related [[guava]], the fruit pulp has a gritty texture which is utilized in some natural cosmetic products as an [[exfoliant]].
Feijoa fruit have a distinctive smell. The ester [[methyl benzoate]] smells strongly of feijoas and the aroma of the fruit is caused mostly by this and other closely related esters.
[[Germany|German]] [[botanist]] [[Otto Karl Berg]] named ''Feijoa'' after [[João da Silva Feijó]], a [[Brazil]]ian botanist. {{Fact|date=April 2007}}
==Growing conditions==
It is a warm-[[temperate]] to [[subtropical]] [[plant]] that will also grow in the [[tropic]]s but requires some winter chilling to fruit. In the [[northern hemisphere]] it has been cultivated as far north as western [[Scotland]] but does not fruit every year, as winter temperatures below about -9°C will kill the flower buds. Large quantities are grown in [[New Zealand]], where the fruit is a popular garden tree and the fruit is commonly available in season.
==Consumption and uses==
The fruit is usually eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon. The fruits have a juicy sweet seed pulp, and slightly gritty flesh nearer the skin. The flavour is aromatic and sweet. If the utensils needed to eat it this way are not available, the feijoa can be torn or bitten in half, and the contents squeezed out and consumed. An alternative is to bite the end off and then tear the fruit in half length ways, exposing a larger surface with less curvature. The teeth can then scrape the pulp out closer to the skin, with less wastage. They can even be [[eating|eaten]] whole, with only the junction to the plant cut off. The skin is sour and can be bitter, but provides a nice balance to the sweet pulp. Still, this is a less common method. A feijoa can also be used as an interesting addition to a fruit [[smoothie]], and can be used to make feijoa wine and feijoa infused vodka. It is also possible to buy Feijoa [[yogurt]], fruit drinks, jam, ice-cream, etc. in New Zealand. The Feijoa can also be cooked and used in dishes where one would use stewed fruit. It is a popular ingredient in [[chutney]].
[[Image:Feijoa cut.jpg|thumb|right|Cut over-mature fruit]]
Fruit maturity is not always apparent from the outside as the fruits remain green until they are over-mature or rotting. Generally the fruit is at its optimum ripeness the day it drops from the tree. While still hanging it may well prove bitter. Once fallen fruit very quickly become over-ripe, so a daily collection of fallen fruit is advisable during the season. When the fruits are immature the seed pulp is white and opaque, becoming clear and jelly-like when ripe. Fruits are at their optimum maturity when the seed pulp has turned into a clear jelly with no hint of browning. Once the seed pulp and surrounding flesh start to brown, the fruit is over mature and shouldn't be eaten.
==Shipping and sale==
Ripe fruit is very prone to bruising; maintaining the fruit in good condition for any length of time is not easy. This, along with the short period of optimum ripeness, probably explains why Feijoas, although delicious, are not widely exported, and where grown commercially are often only sold close to the source of the crop. Feijoas can be cool-stored for approximately a month and still have a few days of shelf life at optimum eating maturity. They're also able to be put in the freezer up to one year without a loss in quality. Because of the relatively short shelf life store keepers need to be careful to replace older feijoas regularly to ensure high quality. In some countries, feijoas can also be purchased at roadside stalls, often at a lower price.
==Cultivation==
[[Image:Feijoa flower02.jpg|right|thumb|Feijoa flowers]]
Some [[grafting|grafted]] cultivars are self fertile. Most are not, and require a [[pollenizer]]. Seedlings may or may not be of usable quality, and may or may not be self fertile. In [[New Zealand]], the [[pollinator]]s are medium sized birds such as the [[Silvereye]] in the cooler parts of the South Island, the [[blackbird]] or the [[Indian myna]] further North, which feed on the sweet, fleshy petals of the feijoa flower. In some areas where the species has been introduced, it has been unproductive due to lack of pollinators. <br clear = left><br />In northern [[California]], [[american robin|robins]], [[mockingbird]]s, [[starlings]], [[Western Scrub Jay|scrub jays]], [[California Towhee|towhees]] and [[Western Grey Squirrel|grey squirrels]] feast on the petals and can be assumed to be assisting with pollination. [[Honey bees]] also visit the flowers.
==External links==
{{commons|Feijoa sellowiana|Feijoa}}
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/feijoa.html Fruits of Warm Climates: Feijoa]
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Feijoa Fruit Facts]
* [http://www.feijoa.org.nz/ New Zealand Feijoa Growers Association Inc.]
* [http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/550121701nXIkak Photo Gallery of Feijoa - the Pineapple Guava]
* [http://208.109.95.8/LinkedLabel.aspx?FoodId=29374 Nutritional Analysis] at FoodsDatabase
[[Category:Myrtaceae]]
[[Category:Trees of Argentina]]
[[Category:Trees of Brazil]]
[[Category:Trees of Uruguay]]
[[Category:Trees of Colombia]]<!-- should this be the order of precedence, for the list? don't assume. Let some "expert" confirm/ or/ deny. It seems like the tree must come from the South.?.. ...and is also in Colombia?.... -->
[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[ca:Feijoa sellowiana]]
[[de:Brasilianische Guave]]
[[es:Acca sellowiana]]
[[fa:فیجوا]]
[[fr:Goyavier de Montevideo]]
[[ia:Feijoa]]
[[it:Acca (pianta)]]
[[he:פיג'ואה]]
[[ka:ფეიხოა]]
[[nl:Feijoa]]
[[ja:フェイジョア]]
[[pt:Feijoa]]
[[ru:Фейхоа]]
[[simple:Feijoa]]
[[fi:Feijoa]]