Feijoa

“Guayabo del país” – a native shrub with edible petals and fragrant fruit, now grown worldwide as feijoa.

Feijoa is an evergreen shrub or small tree of the myrtle family, growing to 3–6 m, with leathery leaves that are silvery beneath. Its showy flowers have fleshy, white-and-pink, sweet-tasting petals and a tuft of long red stamens. The egg-shaped green fruits have fragrant flesh with a flavour combining hints of pineapple, strawberry and mint. In the wild it grows on rocky hills and in scrub. The species name honours the German naturalist Friedrich Sellow, who explored the natural history of southern Brazil and Uruguay.

Significance in the country

It is one of the few fruits native to Uruguay and southern Brazil; Uruguayan scientists run breeding programmes for native varieties, and the fruit is increasingly appearing in local markets.

Where it grows

Wild on hills and in scrub in eastern and northern Uruguay – in Lavalleja, Maldonado, Rocha, Treinta y Tres, Cerro Largo, Rivera and Tacuarembó.

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