Acca sellowiana (O. Berg) Burret, Myrtaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific)).
Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment (U.S. (Florida))).

Other Latin names:  Feijoa sellowiana (O. Berg) O. Berg

Common name(s): [more details]

English: feijoa, pineapple guava

Spanish: guayaba chilena

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Evergreen shrub or small tree, branches, buds and leaf undersides tomentose with short white trichomes; leaves opposite, elliptical to ovate, 3-8 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, margin entire, apex obtuse, usually rounded at the base, upper surface glossy dark green, under white tomentose; flowers single in the lowest 2 or 4 leaf axils of the current year's growth, 3-4 cm wide, 4 petals, broad elliptic-spoon shaped, recurved at the ends, whitish with red center, sepals 4; stamens numerous, to 2.5 cm long, carmine, anthers yellow; fruit an ovate, 5 cm long berry, with remnants of the calyx on the tip, yellow-green, edible, tastes somewhat like a pear." (Krüssmann, 1977; p. 65).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Caledonia, "d'introduction récente et à présent peu cultivé" (MacKee, 1994; p. 106).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Brazil, Uruguay (Krüssmann, 1977; p. 65).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 97) "Potential invader".
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 106) Voucher cited: MacKee 45991
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 130) Voucher cited: CHR 170465

Comments:  A potential invasive species in Hawai‘i (Meyer, 2000; p. 97).

Additional information:
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Acca sellowiana is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Acca sellowiana as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Acca sellowiana may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Krüssmann, Gerd. 1977. Manual of cultivated broad-leaved trees & shrubs. 3 volumes. Amer. Hort. Soc. and Timber Press. .

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.