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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtles) |
| Origin: Brazil (South America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Pink |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Synonyms: [Feijoa sellowiana, Orthostemon sellowiana] |
| Height: 12-20 feet |
| Width: 10-15 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Drought Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Acca sellowiana (Pineapple Guava) - This is an evergreen small tree or large shrub reaching 16-25 feet tall and as wide. It produces oval shaped leaves that have a silvery-white underside. In late spring to early summer appear the showy flowers with the inside of the fleshy edible flower petals a shiny pink while the outside of the petals are white. The pineapple-flavored pulpy 2 inch long oval fruit is produced three to four months after the flowers. Plant in full sun and give occasional to moderate water irrigation. This plant is hardy to about 20 degrees F. A hedge of this plant along the north fence line of our nursery was undamaged during short duration temperatures down to 18° F that were experienced in December 1990. This plant has long been called Feijoa sellowiana but apparently this name has been incorrectly applied since 1941. The German botanist Otto Karl Berg (1816-1866) first described this plant as Feijoa sellowiana in 1859, naming the genus after João da Silva Feijó (1760-1824), a Portuguese naturalist born in Brazil. In 1856, three years prior, Berg had given the name Acca domingensis to another South American plant in the Myrtaceae. The derivation of Acca is cited as from an ancient Hebrew word meaning "hot sand", perhaps from Akkad (Sumerian Agde, Biblical Acca) the name of the city founded by Sargon I in northern Babylonia, though how this relates to this plant seems a mystery. In 1941 Karl Ewald Maximilian Burret (1883-1964), a German research botanist combined these two genera (Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis. Centralblatt für Sammlung und Veroffentlichung von Einzeldiagnosen neuer Pflanzen. [Edited by Friedrich Fedde]. Berlin, 50: 59.) so the valid name of this plant is Acca sellowiana. The specific epithet "sellowiana" honors Friedrich Sello (Sellow) (1789-1831) a German botanist who collected in South America.
This description of this plant is based on our research and our observations of it growing at the nursery, in our own garden and in other gardens. We always appreciate receiving feedback of any kind from those who have any additional information about this plant, particularly if they disagree with what we have written or have additional cultural tips that would aid others growing Acca [Feijoa] sellowiana .
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