[Ancient Greek name psidion for Punica, alluding to supposed resemblance]

Leslie R. Landrum

Shrubs or trees, glabrous or pubescent, hairs simple. Leaves sometimes drought deciduous, opposite; blade venation usually brochidodromous. Inflorescences 1- or 3-flowered, axillary, solitary flowers or dichasia; bracteoles caducous. Flowers usually 5-merous, sessile or pedi­cellate; hypanthium obconic; calyx lobes distinct or connate beyond summit of ovary to form calyx tube, sometimes forming calyptra (in closed flower bud, calyptra completely closed or open only as a terminal pore, tearing regularly into 5 lobes or irregularly); petals whitish; stamens [100–]280–720; ovary [2- or]3–6-locular; placenta bilamelate, often protruding as a peltate structure; ovules 12–180 per locule, biseriate or multiseriate. Fruits berries, green, yellow, or red, pyriform, globose, or subglobose. Seeds few–100+; seed coat dull, bony, densely woody, ca. 9–30 cells thick at narrowest point, covered with thin layer of pulpy tissue when wet, or glaze or crusty tissue when dry; embryo curved; cotyledons usually reflexed, linear to elliptic, shorter than hypocotyl.

Species ca. 70 (2 in the flora): introduced, Florida; Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America (except Chile).

Lower Taxa

• Psidium cattleyanum Sabine
• Psidium guajava Linnaeus