Psidium guajava Limon

The Psidium guajava 'Limon', also known as the yellow lemon guava, is a variety of the common guava, also known as the apple guava or sand plum. It is a small exotic fruit tree, ornamental, with beautiful fragrant white flowers and coppery bark, whose deciduous foliage turns orange in autumn. It produces green fruits and guavas that are highly fragrant and pleasant, with yellow, juicy, sweet and tangy flesh. It requires a warm location and regular watering. It can be grown well in a pot and brought indoors in winter in a heated greenhouse or conservatory to protect it from the cold.

The Psidium guajava 'Limon' is a tree belonging to the myrtle family, just like the Feijoa, Eucalyptus, and Myrtles, with which it shares a flowering adorned with prominent stamens. It is native to Central America, where it grows abundantly and is cultivated for its fruits. This species has been introduced to certain tropical and subtropical regions where it has become invasive, particularly in wet areas like New Caledonia. The tree is not very hardy, tolerating cold temperatures only down to -3°C once established for a few years. Reaching approximately 3.50 m in height in open ground in our latitudes, with a spread of 1.75 m to 2 m, or even wider, it maintains a more bushy than tree-like habit, mainly if grown in a pot or regularly pruned. Its habit is naturally rounded, dense, and slightly trailing.

The Psidium guajava 'Limon' has a slow growth rate. Its smooth and cinnamon-brown bark peels off in thin flakes, revealing a pink background. The tree, evergreen in tropical climates, loses its leaves in cooler temperatures. Its foliage consists of rugged, oblong to elliptical leaves, shiny green on the upper surface, dotted with translucent pores, and covered with a fine down on the lower surface. Arranged opposite on the branches, they measure 3 to 15 cm in length and 2 to 6 cm in width. The bush blooms on the young shoots in late spring and May-June in mild climates. Its white flowers are slightly fragrant, 2 to 3 cm in diameter. A beautiful cluster of white stamens emerge from their white petals, forming a silky pompom. After pollination by insects, they will transform into green, round, and pear-shaped fruits, 2 to 3 cm in diameter. When ripe, they turn yellow. Their flesh is yellow, soft, and juicy. They contain hard seeds that are best removed before consumption. The flavour of these small guavas is both sweet and tangy. Being self-fertile, this fruit tree will be even more productive in the presence of a nearby companion plant. Birds, like humans, are very fond of small fruits.

The Psidium guajava 'Limon' can only be acclimated to open ground in our mildest winter regions. Elsewhere, it is grown in a pot like a citrus tree, which allows it to be stored indoors during winter, protected from frost, in a bright, frost-free location. It can be planted as a hedge or a standalone specimen in warm oceanic or Mediterranean climates. As a collector's plant for a tropical orchard, it can be paired with Pitayas, passion fruits, and other prickly pears. The fruits can be consumed fresh, as juice, in fruit salads (remove the seeds), or cooked in compotes and jams, sorbets, syrups, or on tarts... It is a delicate fruit with a subtly aromatic flavour that does not keep well.