‘Unique’ pineapple guava is a celebrated New Zealand variety known for its reliable, abundant harvests of sweet, richly flavoured fruit. Naturally compact and self-fertile, its fruit ripen early season, often 2-3 weeks before other varieties, which is desirable in climates with relatively short summers, like B.C.
Pineapple guava, also known as Feijoa, is a temperate subtropical, evergreen shrub that offers delicious harvests of tropical tasting fruit with a guava-like flavour.
Native to the cool highlands of South America, pineapple guava has become especially popular in New Zealand, where it’s grown commercially and enjoyed as a beloved backyard crop.
In late spring, pineapple guavas bursts into bloom with showy white-and-crimson flowers. The flower petals are edible and they are so sweet they taste like cotton candy.
By autumn, the plant produces fragrant, egg-shaped fruits with a tropical flavour blend of pineapple, guava, and mint. The fruit can be enjoyed raw or cooked.
Drought-tolerant once established, pineapple guavas thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it an easy-care choice for edible landscapes, privacy screens, or ornamental hedges. Pineapple guavas are cold hardy to Zone 8b (-9ºC), so may require some winter care depending on your location.
Pineapple guava shrubs are becoming more and more popular, with a very devoted following. We offer both seed-grown pineapple guavas, as well as early-ripening grafted cultivars.
Common names: Feijoa, Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen, Brazilian Guavas, Fig Guavas, Guayabo Del Pais
Edible: Fruit and flowers
Harvest timing: October
Scientific name: Acca sellowiana 'Unique' (previously Feijoa sellowiana 'Unique')
Light requirements: Full sun
Full-grown size: 10-12' tall x 8-10' wide, if in-ground and unpruned
Hardiness: Zone 8b (-9ºC)
Pollination: Self-fertile, but cross pollination can increase yields.
Wildlife: Flowers and fruit attract birds, bees, butterflies.
Origin: Native to South America. Cultivar developed in New Zealand.
Noteworthy: Evergreen. Tropical tasting fruit, edible flowers.
