August 4, 2001

Question: I have a small tree in my yard. It has a smooth sculptured trunk and branches with medium dark-green glossy leaves. It just started producing some kind of fruit. The fruits look like small soft apples and the tree is heavily laden with clusters of it. I can’t figure out what kind of tree it is from my Florida gardening books.
- Catherine Kelly, e-mail

Answer: It is a cattley guava otherwise known as strawberry guava, Psidium littorale. The tree is native to Brazil and grows well in south and central Florida. It often has multiple trunks and is also used as a hedge. The edible fruit mainly ripens in July and August. Seedlings take 7 to 8 years to bear fruit.