Kaiteri™ Pineapple Guava (USPP 22,275)
This remarkable, new early ripening variety features very large fruit, which can weigh more than ½ lb! Sweet and delicious, Kaiteri™ fruit also has thin, edible skin. Very productive and easy to grow, Kaiteri™ forms a beautiful, ornamental shrub.
Feijoa (Pineapple Guava) is native to Brazil, but most of the breeding work with this unique fruit has been done in New Zealand. Development of Feijoa in New Zealand has been underway for many years and variety improvements have been remarkable. Among the traits that distinguish these new varieties are very early ripening, large fruit, thin, edible skin, and exceptionally sweet and flavorful flesh. The variety, Kaiteri™, for example, has some of the largest fruit available, weighing ½ lb. or more. Kakariki™, Anatoki™, Takaka™ and Waingaro™ also feature large fruit and all these varieties are prized for their excellent eating quality. Feijoa breeding was once a government sponsored effort, but is now carried out by private breeders. These exciting new varieties now available in the US are the work of two breeders, Roy Hart and Nigel Ritson. Anatoki™, Kaiteri™ and Kakariki™ were created by Roy Hart and Takaka™ and Waingaro™ are from the work of Nigel Ritson. Their work continues and we can expect even more interesting and valuable varieties in the future. We are fortunate to now have these varieties in the US. They promise a bright future for this tasty fruit, which is also a beautiful, ornamental, evergreen shrub.
As of now, many of these varieties are patented varieties, either here in the United States or in New Zealand, and unlicensed propagation of them is strictly prohibited out of respect to the breeders whose hard work went into creating them and Jim Gilbert and Lorraine Gardner who went to great effort to license, import and propagate these special new varieties. Thank you for respecting this.
Latin Name: Acca sellowiana
Site and Soil: Kaiteri™ Pineapple Guava likes full to 1/2 day sun and well-drained soil.
Rootstock Description: Pineapple Guava seedling
Pollination Requirements: Partially self-fertile but produces more fruit with another variety planted nearby.
Hardiness: Hardy to 5° F
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 8-12ft. in height
Taste: Sweet, mint and pineapple flavors
Fruit Skin: Green
Fruit Flesh: Cream/white
Bloom Time: July
Ripening Time: November
Yield: 5-10 lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Kaiteri™ Pineapple Guava is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 7-10