Strawberry Guava

Psidium cattleianum

Distribution

Native to Brazil, naturalized in Florida, Hawaii, tropical Polynesia, Norfolk Island, and Mauritius (Cronk and Fuller 1995). Naturalized across peninsular Florida, with herbarium specimens documented from Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Highlands, Glades, Hardee, and DeSoto counties (Wunderlin et al. 1995).

Life History

Grows rapidly, tolerates shade, and produces root suckers (Cronk and Fuller 1995). Root-suckering ability important to its dominance in natural habitats (Huenneke and Vitousek 1990). Has good salt tolerance (Maxwell and Maxwell 1961). Flowers and fruits all year (Wunderlin 1982). Has high seed production, early seed maturity, and seed dispersal by both birds and mammals (Cronk and Fuller 1995).

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Written by Rob Nelson

Rob is an ecologist from the University of Hawaii. He is the co-creator and director of Untamed Science. His goal is to create videos and content that are entertaining, accurate, and educational. When he's not making science content, he races whitewater kayaks and works on Stone Age Man.

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