Herb: Feijoa


Latin name: Acca sellowiana


Synonyms: Feijoa sellowiana, Orthostemon sellowianus


Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtle Family)



Edible parts of Feijoa:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A delicious aromatic taste, somewhat like a cross between a pineapple and a strawberry. The fruit is best eaten raw but it can also be made into pies, cakes, puddings, jams, jellies etc. Fruits can suffer damage from autumn frosts, though the flavour develops better at low temperatures. The fruit is up to 7.5cm long. Flowers - raw. The petals are sweet, crisp and delicious, they taste more like a fruit than many fruits. They should be harvested just after they begin to soften (not sure that I agree with this last sentence)

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
July

Habitat of the herb:

Tropical and sub-tropical highlands below 1,000 metres.

Other uses of Feijoa:

Although not very cold hardy in Britain, it resists maritime exposure and can be grown as a shelter hedge in mild maritime areas.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Rinse the seed before sowing to ensure there is no fruit flesh remaining since this can inhibit germination. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 15°C. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some protection for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 7 cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Slow to root, but you eventually get a good percentage take.

Cultivation of Feijoa:

Tropical and sub-tropical highlands below 1,000 metres.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Acca sellowiana:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.