The feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana), or "pineapple guava", as it is sometimes called, is an evergreen bushy shrub, 1 to 7 meters in height, originating from the highlands of southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The pulpy fruit is green, olive-sized, and ellipsoid-shaped. It has a slightly tart taste, and is not fully ripe until it falls to earth in autumn. This plant in monotypic in its genus.

It is a subtropical plant that will grow in the tropics but requires some winter chilling to fruit. In the US it has been grown as far north as Portland, Oregon but does not fruit every year, as winter temperatures below about 15 degrees F will kill fruit buds.

Some grafted cultivars are self fertile, most are not and require a pollenizer. Seedlings may or may not be of usable quality, and may or may not be self fertile. In the native range, the pollinator is a bird, but bees can accomplish some pollination, especially large brawny bees, such as bumblebees or the large carpenter bee.

Feijoa sellowiana
Feijoa blossom
Indiantown, South Carolina

See also

• guava (Psidium guajava)
• list of fruits