   guavas (singular guava, ) are common tropical fruits cultivated and enjoyed in many tropical and subtropical regions. psidium guajava (common guava, lemon guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (myrtaceae), native to mexico, central america, and northern south america. although related species may also be called guavas, they actually belong to other genera, such as the "strawberry guava" acca sellowiana. == types ==  the most frequently eaten species, and the one often simply referred to as "the guava", is the apple guava (psidium guajava).. guavas are typical myrtoideae, with tough dark leaves that are opposite, simple, elliptic to ovate and  long. the flowers are white, with five petals and numerous stamens. the genera accara and feijoa (= acca, pineapple guava) were formerly included in psidium. ==etymology and regional names== the term "guava" appears to derive from arawak guayabo "guava tree", via the spanish guayaba. it has been adapted in many european and asian languages, having a similar form. another term for guavas is peru, derived from pear. it is common in countries bordering the western indian ocean and probably derives from spanish or portuguese. in the indian subcontinent and middle-east, guava is called amrood, possibly a variant of armoot meaning "pear" in the arabic and turkish languages. ==ecology== psidium species are used as food plants by the caterpillars of some lepidoptera, mainly moths like the ello sphinx (erinnyis ello), eupseudosoma aberrans, e. involutum, and hypercompe icasia. mites, like pronematus pruni and tydeus munsteri, are known to be crop pests of the apple guava (p. guajava) and perhaps other species. the bacterium erwinia psidii causes rot diseases of the apple guava. although the fruit is cultivated and favored by humans, many animals and birds consume it, readily dispersing the seeds in their droppings and, in hawaii, strawberry guava (p. littorale) has become an aggressive invasive species threatening [[extinction
Crops_originating_from_the_Americas Hawaiian_cuisine Psidium Tropical_fruit