Guava

A small evergreen tree 3–10 m tall with flaking brown bark and softly hairy young shoots. The leaves are opposite, simple and entire, elliptic to ovate, 5–15 cm long, dark glossy above and hairy beneath with prominent veins. The short-stalked flowers occur singly or in twos or threes in the leaf axils; they have five white petals and very many yellow stamens, are lightly fragrant and insect-pollinated. The fruit is a berry, globose to ovoid, 4–12 cm across; the skin is green ripening to yellow-green or yellow; the flesh is white, pale yellow or pink-red depending on the cultivar, sweet and aromatic; the core holds many small hard kidney-shaped seeds. Common cultivars include 'Nữ hoàng', 'Xá lị' and seedless types grown largely in the Mekong Delta.

Guava is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America; the Spanish spread it across the tropics from the 16th century (the name derives from Taíno 'guayabo'). World output of guavas (combined with mangoes and mangosteens in statistics) is some 55–62 million tonnes (2019–2024), led by India with about 45%. Guava is exceptionally rich in vitamin C (about four times as much as oranges), soluble fibre, potassium and lycopene (in pink-fleshed types), supporting digestion and immunity. In Vietnam guava is grown throughout the country; famous areas include Phú Thọ (VietGAP guavas), the Mekong Delta (Tiền Giang, Cần Thơ — pear and seedless types) and Lâm Đồng. Folk practice uses guava-leaf decoctions for bathing and for diarrhoea; the fruit is eaten fresh, juiced, blended, made into jam, and served as 'ổi lắc' (shaken guava with chilli salt).