Pineapple Guava Acca spp.

Pineapple Guava Acca Sellowiana                         ©Greg Patch

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acca_sellowiana

Acca sellowiana, a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, is native to the highlands of southern Brazil, Colombia,Uruguay, and northern Argentina.^[1] Common names include feijoa (pronounced /feɪˈʒoʊ.ə/, /feɪˈdʒoʊ.ə/,^[2] or /feɪˈhoʊ.ə/^[3]) pineapple guava and guavasteen. It is an evergreen, perennial shrub or small tree, 1–7 metres (3.3–23 ft) in height, widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree. The German botanist Otto Karl Berg named feijoa after João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese botanist born in the colony of Brazil.


Since moving I've been watching the progress of this shrub blooming in my back yard by my kitchen door  i want to thank the folks at "the arboretum" here in New Hanover County, Wilmington NC. in helping me identify Acca spp. today. They are part of the NC Cooperative Extension. Wherever you live in the states Cooperative Extension is always helpful with plant ids. They are also part of NC A & T State University. 


Both fruit and flower are edibles. Am sure leaf, bark and root are medicinals in their native lands. I do not recommend ingesting it here unless your shrub grows at least 100 feet from roads, house eaves and other toxic areas, and grows in organic soils. I taste sampled the flower. It had a hint of pineapple flavor, not at all sweet, kinda bland... Taste is very important in iding and using herbs in diet and medicinally. With the plants one tastes a very minute amount to avoid unwanted results. It is an art, and takes practice. Before sampling plant materials there are other ways one can "sense" ingestability and energetics of plant materials. That is an art as well. Logically, never eat anything unless you know what it is!