Strawberry guava
Psidium cattleyanum · Myrtaceae · also known as Cattley guava, Cherry guava, Araca, Chinese guava, Waiawi, Purple guava
A small red guava that tastes genuinely of strawberry, eaten skin and all in a single bite — and simultaneously one of the most destructive invasive plants in the Pacific, where it has swallowed whole Hawaiian forests.
At a glance
- Taste
- Sweet-tart with a clear strawberry note over the usual guava muskiness, much less perfumed and less grainy than a common guava. The thin red skin is edible and slightly resinous; the many small seeds are hard and usually swallowed.
- Origin
- The coastal Atlantic forest of Brazil
- Grown in
- Brazil, United States, Australia, Mauritius, France, South Africa
- Peak season
- Summer, Autumn
- Notable varieties
- Red/purple form (var. cattleyanum), Yellow form (var. lucidum, lemon guava)
Sensory & practical profile
Taste fingerprint
- Sweetness
- Tartness
- Aroma
- Juiciness
- Firmness
Approximate, at peak ripeness · 0–5
- Ripe when
- Deep red to purple-red all over and soft to a gentle squeeze, detaching from the twig at a touch. Green or part-coloured fruit is astringent; the yellow form is ripe when fully lemon-yellow and slightly soft.
- How to eat
- Eat it whole in one or two bites — skin, flesh and seeds together. There is nothing to peel. For jelly or juice, simmer and strain, because the seeds are hard enough to be unpleasant blended.
- Typical price
- Budget
Strawberry guava is one of the most damaging invasive plants in the Pacific — introduced to Hawaii in the 1820s, it now forms thickets dense enough to eliminate the understorey of native forest, and controlling it is a significant conservation expense.
When it's in season, by region
| Region | Peak months |
|---|---|
| Latin America | Jan-Apr in its native Brazilian range |
| Oceania | Jul-Oct in Hawaii, where it fruits heavily |
How to select & store
Picking a ripe one
Pick fruit that has turned deep red or purple-red all over and gives softly to the touch — it should come away from the twig with almost no pull. Green or firm fruit is astringent and not worth eating.
Storing it
Two or three days refrigerated at most; it bruises quickly and ferments soon after. Best eaten off the bush, or cooked promptly into jelly, which is what most of a home harvest becomes.
Practical uses
🍽️ Culinary
- Eaten fresh and whole, skin and seeds together
- Made into jelly and jam — the high pectin sets readily
- Juiced and strained, since the seeds are hard
- Fermented into wine and vinegar in Brazil and Hawaii
🎎 Cultural
- Introduced to Hawaii in the 1820s and now among the islands' worst invasive plants, forming dense thickets that shade out native forest
- Called waiawi in Hawaii, where it is both foraged enthusiastically and targeted for control
Eating strawberry guava: what to know
What regular consumption looks like
Strawberry guava is mostly water with natural sugars, a little fibre, and assorted micronutrients — a hydrating everyday addition to your overall fruit intake rather than a standout for any one nutrient.
Sensible amounts
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Evidence & conditions
As a whole fruit, Strawberry guava contributes fibre, vitamins, and beneficial plant compounds, but it has not been shown to treat or prevent any specific condition — so it is best enjoyed as part of a healthy diet rather than as a remedy.
Strawberry guava: frequently asked questions
What does strawberry guava taste like?
Sweet-tart with a clear strawberry note over the usual guava muskiness, much less perfumed and less grainy than a common guava. The thin red skin is edible and slightly resinous; the many small seeds are hard and usually swallowed.
When is strawberry guava in season?
Strawberry guava is typically in season Latin America (Jan-Apr in its native Brazilian range); Oceania (Jul-Oct in Hawaii, where it fruits heavily). Peak months shift between the northern and southern hemispheres.
How do you eat strawberry guava?
Eat it whole in one or two bites — skin, flesh and seeds together. There is nothing to peel. For jelly or juice, simmer and strain, because the seeds are hard enough to be unpleasant blended.
How do you know when strawberry guava is ripe?
Deep red to purple-red all over and soft to a gentle squeeze, detaching from the twig at a touch. Green or part-coloured fruit is astringent; the yellow form is ripe when fully lemon-yellow and slightly soft.
Is strawberry guava good for you?
Strawberry guava is mostly water with natural sugars, a little fibre, and assorted micronutrients — a hydrating everyday addition to your overall fruit intake rather than a standout for any one nutrient.
How much strawberry guava should you eat?
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Does strawberry guava really taste like strawberry?
More than you would expect. There is a clear strawberry note over the usual guava muskiness, and it is much less heavily perfumed and less grainy than a common guava. The name is a genuine description rather than marketing. The yellow form, sold as lemon guava, is tarter and more lemony.
Why is strawberry guava considered invasive?
Because it forms thickets that nothing else grows through. Introduced to Hawaii in the 1820s, it spreads by both seed — carried by birds and feral pigs — and root suckers, producing dense stands that shade out the understorey and prevent native forest regenerating. It is now among the most damaging invasive plants in the Pacific, and controlling it is a substantial conservation cost. The same plant is unremarkable and well-behaved in its native Brazilian forest.
Can you eat the skin and seeds?
Yes to both, and that is the normal way. Strawberry guava is small enough to eat whole in one or two bites — the thin red skin is edible and slightly resinous, and the many small seeds are hard but harmless and simply swallowed. For jelly or juice, simmer and strain rather than blending, because the seeds are hard enough to spoil the texture.
Strawberry guava is a genuinely delicious fruit and an ecological disaster, and both things are true at the same time.
The fruit
Psidium cattleyanum is a small guava from the coastal Atlantic forest of Brazil, ripening to a deep red about the size of a large cherry. Unlike the common guava, it is not heavily perfumed and not especially grainy — what comes through instead is a clear strawberry note over a light guava muskiness.
You eat it whole. The thin skin is edible, the many small seeds are hard but harmless, and the whole thing goes in one or two bites. A yellow form, sold as lemon guava, is tarter and more citric.
It bruises within days, so almost all of it is eaten off the bush or turned quickly into jelly, which sets easily on the fruit’s own pectin.
And the problem
Introduced to Hawaii in the 1820s, strawberry guava became one of the most destructive invasive plants in the Pacific. It spreads both by seed — carried by birds and by feral pigs — and by root suckers, and the result is a thicket dense enough to eliminate the forest understorey entirely. Native Hawaiian plants do not regenerate underneath it.
Controlling it is now a significant conservation expense across Hawaii, Mauritius, Réunion and elsewhere. In its native Brazil, the same species is an unremarkable component of the forest.
Hawaiians call it waiawi, forage it enthusiastically, and target it for removal — which is roughly the correct relationship to have with it.
A note on nutrition
We hold no nutrition figures for strawberry guava. USDA does cover it, but the values we could reach were secondary aggregations quoting net carbohydrate; reconstructing total carbohydrate by adding fibre back is inference rather than sourcing. The table is omitted and this entry is excluded from our nutrition rankings until we can read the primary record.
If you like strawberry guava, try these
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In season with strawberry guava
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