Popular guava varieties and what sets each one apart

Guava is an easy fruit tree to grow, which is why so many families choose it for the garden.

There are many guava varieties around today. Each one differs in fruit shape, crunch, sweetness and how vigorously it grows.

If you are looking for guava seedlings for your home or your orchard, let Ngọc Ngân Bến Tre walk you through some of the most popular varieties below.

🌱 1. Taiwan pear guava

This is one of the most widely grown guava varieties in Vietnam.

The tree grows well and is relatively easy to care for. The fruit is oblong and wider at the bottom, so it looks rather like a pear.

The skin is pale green. The flesh is white, crunchy and lightly sweet.

Taiwan pear guava suits anyone who wants a variety that is both easy to care for and good to eat.

Characteristics:

• Pear-shaped fruit
• Pale green skin
• White, crunchy flesh
• Light, clean sweetness
• Vigorous growth

🌿 2. Queen guava

Queen guava is a favourite because the fruit is large with thick flesh.

The fruit is usually round, with a small core and not many seeds. It eats crunchy, lightly sweet and faintly fragrant.

If you like large, meaty guavas with few seeds, this one is worth a look.

Characteristics:

• Large fruit
• Thick flesh
• Small core
• Few seeds
• Crunchy and sweet

🍃 3. Xá lị guava

Xá lị is another guava grown widely across Vietnam.

The tree is hardy and grows well. The fruit usually has green skin and a slightly pear-like shape.

The giveaway is the red core with a fair number of seeds.

The flavour is lightly sweet with a touch of the astringency the variety is known for.

Characteristics:

• Vigorous growth
• Green skin
• Red core
• Many seeds
• Light, clean sweetness

🪴 4. Malaysian purple guava

If you are after a guava with unusual colour, Malaysian purple guava is worth considering.

True to the name, the fruit is a striking purple. The skin is fairly smooth and the fruit is pear-shaped.

The core is purple too. The flesh is crunchy and lightly sweet.

This one suits people who like eye-catching fruit that stands apart from the usual guavas.

Characteristics:

• Purple fruit
• Purple core
• Pear-shaped
• Crunchy flesh
• Light, clean sweetness

🌱 5. Seedless guava

Seedless guavas are a group many people ask about when shopping for seedlings.

Several seedless varieties are available today, including MT1, Phugi, Thai and Malaysian. Each differs in growth habit and fruit quality.

MT1 seedless guava

This variety originates from Taiwan.

The tree grows quickly and adapts to a range of soils.

The fruit has green skin and white flesh, crunchy and seedless.

Phugi seedless guava

Phugi seedless guava is grown widely in the southern provinces.

The fruit is elongated and sometimes a little misshapen. The looks are not perfect, but the flesh is crunchy, white and lightly sweet.

Thai seedless guava

This variety comes from Thailand.

The tree grows strongly but needs good care to set fruit as well as you would hope.

The fruit is slender, with green skin and white flesh. The flavour mixes tartness with sweetness.

Malaysian seedless guava

The fruit is rounded and slightly flattened, with fairly rough skin.

It is not as widely grown as some other guavas because fruit set and yield are not high.

The flesh is lightly sweet with a hint of tartness.

🌳 6. Ruby red-fleshed guava

Ruby guava originates from Taiwan and is now grown widely in Vietnam.

The tree grows well and adapts to many soil conditions.

The fruit has slightly rough green skin. The flesh is thick, crunchy and white blushed with pink or red.

A favourite detail: this variety usually has very few seeds, or none at all, depending on the seedling line.

Ruby guava is lightly sweet and juicy.

Characteristics:

• Taiwanese origin
• Strong growth
• Adapts to many soils
• Thick, crunchy flesh
• White flesh blushed pink or red
• Few seeds or none, depending on the line
• Light, clean sweetness