Posted by Sunset, July 14, 2009 in Edibles
, Ornamentals
By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine
With a flavor reminiscent of cotton candy, pineapple guava's blush-white flowers are good to eat one at a time. Throw away the red brush of anthers in the middle when you're done, and have another one.
The plant itself grows in Sunset climate zones 6-9, 12-31, H1-H2, where it's a large shrub (18 to 25 ft.) or a small tree. I've grown it against a warm, south-facing wall in Sunset's zone 5, but was definitely pushing its hardiness limits.
Baccellieri lives on the edge of pineapple guava's range, so her plants may only grow to half the size they'd reach in warmer climates. Oval, gray-green fruit comes 4–7 months after flowering (longer in cooler climates). It is soft, sweet, and tastes a little like pineapple. Leaves are glossy gray-green above, and silvery white beneath. The shrub takes well to pruning done in spring.
Though some varieties of pineapple guava are self fruitful, they produce more fruit if you plant different varieties side by side for cross pollination.
