Psidium acutangulum, Para Guave seeds

Psidium acutangulum seeds

Psidium acutangulum is an evergreen shrub with a small crown also known as Para guava and Araca pera. The plant synonyms include Psidium grandiflorum, Psidium acidum, Guajava acutangula, Psidium acutangulum and Psidium persoonii. It is a species tree of Myrtaceae family and Psidium genus. . The origins of this Para quava can be traced to Southern America where it is believed to have descended from low to medium elevation areas including Amazon basin, Venezuela, Guianas and Colombia.

Psidium acutangulam is an evergreen and can grow up to 3-12 meters tall and bent bole of about 15 to 25 cm in diameter. Its fruits can be ovoid, spherical or pyriform medium to large in size and its weight can be approximated to 100-250 grams with a diameter is about 10cm. it has 3 to 5 protruding sepals at the top. Fruit surface is smooth sometimes rough with no pubescence and the skin color when immature is dark green but it turns to yellowish green when ripen. The pulp of immature fruit is hard and becomes soft and juicy when ripe. The plant prefers a fertile soil which is moist and in a sunny position and it grows faster when young.

Psidium acutangulam has both edible and medicinal uses. For example, the plant can be eaten raw or made into jellies and juices. The apple size yellow fruits have a creamy sweet flesh with a pleasant aromatic flavor. The plant's bark which is astringent can be used to treat diarrhoea; also the young leaves infusion is useful in a remedy of dysentery. Juices of the young fruits can used to make juice which is drunk to treat stomach upsets and dysentery. The plant wood can be used as fuel and making of charcoal.