Guava (Amrood) Tree (Psidium guajava): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant It
Psidium guajava
Guava, amrood (अमरूद) in Hindi, is Psidium guajava, the hardy small fruit tree grown across India. How and when to plant an air-layered guava, where to plant it at home, whether it can grow in a pot, when it flowers and fruits, how to recognise it and what to watch out for.
Overview
Guava, called amrood (अमरूद) in Hindi, is Psidium guajava, a small evergreen fruit tree of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) that is grown across most of India, from humid coasts to the dry plains of Rajasthan. In English the tree is simply the guava tree; in Hindi it is अमरूद का पेड़.
A layered or grafted guava can start fruiting in two or three years, stays small enough for a backyard and, as NHB puts it, is a hardy plant that grows even on shallow and alkaline soils. This guide covers where it grows, how and when to plant it, growing it in a pot, how to recognise it, early care and cautions.
Photo: "A guava tree at Kalyalpara, Jagadishpur Hat, Howrah" by Billjones94, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Psidium guajava L. |
| Family | Myrtaceae (myrtle family, the same family as jamun) |
| Hindi name | अमरूद (Amrood, also written Amrud or Amarood); अमरूद का पेड़ (guava tree) |
| Also called | Guava, common guava; Peyara (Bengali), Peru (Marathi), Jamrukh (Gujarati), Koyya (Tamil), Goyyapandu (Telugu), Pera (Malayalam), Seebe (Kannada) (Flowers of India) |
| Mature height | Usually 3–10 m, a shrub or small tree with many branches (ICRAF) |
| Growth rate | Fast; ICRAF calls its growth rate excellent |
| Water need | Moderate: drought-hardy once established, but young plants and fruiting trees need watering in dry months (NHB) |
| Years to first fruit | Layered or grafted plants about 2–3 years, seedlings about 4–5 years (NHB) |
| Planting season | With the monsoon in most of India; months are a guide, see Planting calendar |
| Grows well in | Most of India on well-drained land; ICRAF says it fruits up to 1,500 m. Semi-arid Rajasthan with some watering (our assessment) |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List global assessment, 2019) |
Sources: Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via GBIF): Psidium guajava L., accepted name; Peru the only area not marked introduced; India, Assam and Andaman Is. listed as introduced; GBIF species API: IUCN Red List category for Psidium guajava (Least Concern, iucnTaxonID 49485755); IUCN Red List: Canteiro C. and Lucas E. (2019). Psidium guajava. e.T49485755A49485759 (Least Concern; citation seen via secondary records, page not read); Orwa C. et al. (2009). Agroforestree Database 4.0: Psidium guajava. ICRAF; National Horticulture Board (NHB): Guava, harvesting and yield (ripening 5 months after flowering; bearing age 2-3 / 4-5 years); Flowers of India: Guava (Indian-language names, bark, flowers, fruit)
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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