Fauna
Plant · GBIF taxon 5420641

Strawberry Guava

Psidium cattleianum

Also known as Cherry Guava, Lemon Guava, Waiawī

Strawberry guava forms dense, shady thickets in tropical and subtropical landscapes, recognized by smooth reddish bark and glossy, oval leaves. Small white flowers with soft clusters of stamens give way to round fruits that mature into shades of deep purple-red or lemon yellow. Native to eastern Brazil, its rapid spread via bird and mammal seed dispersal has made it a major threat to native understory vegetation in island ecosystems worldwide.

Fruit-BearingInvasiveEvergreen
Strawberry Guava reference
Licensed referenceBageense / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & prey
  • Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
ThreatsEradication programs, biological control agents
HabitatsTropical rainforests, subtropical woodlands, coastal scrub, disturbed areas
Life span20–50 years
Classification
  1. OrderMyrtales
  2. FamilyMyrtaceae
  3. GenusPsidium
  4. SpeciesPsidium cattleianum
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Wild fruits have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild plants based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
  • Identification: Look for smooth, reddish-brown peeling bark and thick, leathery opposite leaves.
  • Ecology: Watch for frugivorous birds feeding on the canopy crop during fruiting seasons.
  • Management: Clean footwear after hiking through infested trails to avoid dispersing seeds into native forests.
Related species
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