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Psidium cattleianum Sabine
Strawberry Guava
Synonym(s): Psidium cattleyanum
Not native to Florida
An occasional shrub or small tree of disturbed sites throughout the central and south peninsula of Florida. Native to the Amazon basin in Brazil, it is also an invasive species in Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Psidium cattleianum may grow up to 10m (33 ft.) tall, although usually much less, typically 2-4m (6-1/2 to 13 ft.). Leaves are opposite, simple, entire, obovate, oblanceolate or elliptic, with glabrous underside and 8-13 pairs of lateral veins that are nearly even with the surface. Flowers appear singly in each leaf axil, giving the appearance of being grouped in pairs. The calyx splits to a point below the staminal ring which can be made up of hundreds of stamens 3-8mm (1/8 to 5/16 in.) long with anthers of less than 1mm. The fruit is a many-seeded nearly round berry 1.5-3cm (6/10 to 1-1/8 in.) long and may be red or yellow at maturity.
Psidium cattleianum is a member of the Myrtaceae - Myrtle family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Apr 26, 2023
