Feijoa sellowiana

Feijoa sellowiana also known as Acca sellowiana (O.Berg) Burret, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is native mainly to the highlands of Colombia, southern Brazil and the hills of northeast Uruguay, but it can also be found in eastern Paraguay and northern Argentina. It is known as quirina (lusified from kanê kriyne by the indigenous Kaingang of southern Brazil) or more commercially as feijoa.
The Colombian feijoa (Acca sellowiana), a fruit-bearing shrub of the Myrtaceae family. In Colombia, the fruit is particularly associated with the Quindío and Boyacá regions, where it thrives in the Andean highlands. It has been cultivated for centuries by the inhabitants of Tibasosa, Boyacá, considered descendants of the Chibchas,Muiscas, and known for their longevity. The town of Tibasosa is renowned as the "Feijoa Capital of Colombia", hosting the annual Feijoa Festival (Festival de la Feijoa) to celebrate the fruit’s cultural and economic significance. The Tibasosa feijoa variant is prized for its high pulp content and aromatic properties, making it popular for consumption in juices, desserts, jams, and even artisanal liquors. Due to its nutritional value, rich antioxidants content and potential medicinal properties, Colombian feijoa has garnered increasing attention for both local culinary use and international agricultural research.
They are also common in gardens of New Zealand. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree and for its fruit. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1–7 metres (3.3–23.0 ft) in height. The oblong leaves are about two inches (five cm) long, dark green on the upper side and white underneath. The flowers have five whitish petals which are puffy, possibly filled with some gas. There are about 25 dark red stamens projecting from the center.
Feijoa sellowiana Berg is from the genus which the German botanist, Ernst Berger, named after João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese naturalist, and the specific name honors Friedrich Sellow, a German who first collected specimens of Feijoa in southern Brazil.
Other common English names in various countries include pineapple guava, fig guava and guavasteen, although it is not a true guava.
The fruit matures in autumn and the skin is green. Its shape is roughly that of a prolate spheroid, and it is about the size of a chicken egg. It is sweet, slightly tart, with an aromatic bouquet reminiscent of tropical fruits such as passion fruit, cherry guava, or pineapple. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear, gelatinous seed pulp and a firmer, slightly granular, opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit falls to the ground when ripe and at its fullest flavour, but it may be picked from the tree prior to falling to prevent bruising.
The fruit pulp resembles the closely related guava, having a gritty texture. The feijoa pulp is used in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Feijoa fruit has a distinctive, potent smell that resembles that of a fine perfume. The aroma is due to methyl benzoate and related compounds in the fruit.
In Brazil, it is naturally found around Araucaria angustifolia forests at altitudes more than 900 metres. The plant is a warm-temperate, subtropical plant that also will grow in the tropics, but requires at least 50 hours of winter chilling to fruit, and is frost-tolerant. When grown from seed, feijoas are noted for slow growth during their first year or two, and young plants, though cold tolerant, can be sensitive to high wind.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the species has been cultivated in the United Kingdom and as far north as western Scotland, but under such conditions it does not fruit every year, as winter temperatures below approximately −9 °C (16 °F) kill the flower buds. Summer temperatures above 32 °C (90 °F) may also have an adverse effect upon fruit set. Feijoas are somewhat tolerant of drought and salt in soils, though fruit production can be adversely affected. Tolerant to partial shade, regular watering is essential while the fruit is maturing.
The main cultivation areas are not located in the original region of the feijoa; they are found in New Zealand, the United States (California), and Colombia, among other countries. Some cultivars of F. sellowiana, widely distributed internationally, derive from a small number of introductions of “Uruguayan type” plants. In 1890, Professor Edouard André introduced a specimen or a few specimens of the species from Uruguay to France, which were the origin of the seedlings introduced in California, and later reached New Zealand. Subsequently, Colombia introduced materials from various parts of the world.
Some grafted cultivars of feijoa are self-fertile. Most are not and require a pollinator. Seedlings may or may not be of usable quality; and may or may not be self-fertile. Feijoas will mature into a sprawly shrub but can be kept successfully as a large container plant, though accommodations will need to be made for the width of the plants, and the need to encourage new growth for fruit production.
Feijoas are occasionally found as landscape plants in Texas, Florida, California, and the maritime Pacific Northwest. They can succeed in greenhouses in temperate parts of the United States; and have been grown in-ground as fruiting trees on the United States east coast in coastal Georgia and South Carolina as well as in California. Other regions of the United States such as the southernmost Appalachian Mountains, and the immediate coastal region from North Carolina to Delaware would warrant further investigation.
The fruit has been widely grown in New Zealand since the 1920s, and it has become a popular garden tree. It is commonly available in season from March to June. In New Zealand, the pollinators of this plant are bees, bumblebees, and medium-sized birds. The silvereye is a pollinator in the cooler parts of the South Island; the blackbird and the Indian myna, which feeds on the sweet, fleshy flower petals, are pollinators further north. In some areas where the species has been introduced, however, the trees have been unproductive due to lack of pollinators. The shrub has very few insect pests, although guava moth is a problem in Northland, New Zealand.
In the South Caucasus, feijoa has been cultivated in the southern coastal region of Azerbaijan since 1928; cultivation in neighboring Georgia has gradually increased to about 988 hectares (2,440 acres) in 1986.
Ripe fruit is prone to bruising; difficulty maintaining the fruit in good condition for any length of time, along with the short period of optimum ripeness and full flavor, probably explains why feijoas are not exported frequently, and are typically sold close to where they are grown. However, intercontinental shipping of feijoa by sea or air has been successful.
Because of the relatively short shelf life, storekeepers need to be careful to replace older fruit regularly to ensure high quality. In some countries, they also may be purchased at roadside stalls, often at a lower price.
Feijoas may be cool-stored for approximately a month and still have a few days of shelf life at optimum eating maturity. They also may be frozen for up to one year without a loss in quality.
100 grams (3.5 oz) of raw feijoa provides 55 calories and is 13% carbohydrates, 9-16% sugars, and 1% each of fat and protein. The raw fruit is a rich source of vitamin C, providing 40% of the Daily Value, but supplies no other micronutrients in significant amount.
Although the skin is edible, the fruit usually is eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon. The fruit has a juicy, sweet seed pulp and slightly gritty flesh nearer the skin. The flower petals are edible. The most common uses are eating raw, desserts such as sorbet, sweet pies, crumbles, or in salads. They are regularly consumed by birds.
Numerous cultivars of feijoa have been developed. These include: