Myrciaria floribunda

Myrciaria floribunda, commonly known as cambuizeiro, guavaberry or rumberry, is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It can be found across south and central america in dry or moist coastal woodlands, up to 300 metres above sea level.[3] The guavaberry, which should not be confused with the guava, is a close relative of camu camu.

Myrciaria floribunda
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Myrciaria
Species:
M. floribunda
Binomial name
Myrciaria floribunda
(H.West ex Willd.) O.Berg
Synonyms[2]

Description
Guavaberry Fruits

Guavaberry trees are slow growing and can reach between 12 and 20 metres tall.[3] They have red-brown branches and small pink and white flowers. The fruit, which are roughly half the size of cherries, are yellow-orange, dark-red, or purple with tanginess of a guava containing a small amount of translucent flesh surrounding a stone. Taste of the fruit has recognizable fair sweetness.[4] The fruit is rich in Vitamin C, with the darker coloured fruit having higher concentrations.[5]

There is great genetic variability within the species, and Myrciaria floribunda can vary in form, structure and appearance, and that has given rise to a large number of botanical synonyms.[6][7]

Distribution

Guavaberry trees can be found growing wild in Central America, South America, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, and the Windward Islands. The guavaberry has also been introduced to Florida, Hawaii, Bermuda, Philippines, and Tanzania.[8][4]

Uses
Guavaberry Emporium, Sint Maarten

Guavaberry is used to make jams and drinks. Guavaberry liqueur, which is made from rum, is a common Christmas drink on many of the islands, particularly in Sint Maarten and the Virgin Islands.[4] The colonists from Denmark and Holland found it could flavor rum by infusion similar to infused schnapps.[9] In the Dominican Republic it is associated with the eastern town of San Pedro de Macorís which has a large population of Eastern Caribbean descent.[10]

References
  1. "Myrciaria floribunda". IUCN Redlist. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  2. "Myrciaria floribunda (H.West ex Willd.) O.Berg". The Plant List. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  3. "Myrciaria floribunda:(H.West. ex Willd.) O.Berg". Useful Tropical Plants. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  4. "Myrciaria floribunda, Eugenia floribunda". toptropicals.com. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  5. Rezende Pinheiro, Lucas; Almeida, C. S.; da Silva, A. V. C. (2011). "Diversidade genética de uma população natural de cambuizeiro e avaliação pós-colheita de seus frutos". Scientia Plena (in Portuguese). 7 (6).
  6. Veruska Cruz Silva, Ana; Letícia Sirqueira Nascimento, Ana; Neves Muniz, Evandro (2020). "Fruiting and quality attributes of cambui (Myrciaria floribunda (West ex Willd.) O. Berg in the Atlantic Forest of northeast Brazil". doi:10.18227/1982-8470ragro.v14i0.5861. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. Villaron Franceschinelli, Edivani; Mara Patr´ıcio Vasconcelos, Giuliana; Charlotte Landau, Elena; Yukari Ono, K´atia; Antonio Maes Santos, Fl´avio (2007). "The genetic diversity of Myrciaria floribunda (Myrtaceae) in Atlantic Forest fragments of different sizes". Journal of Tropical Ecology. Cambridge University Press. 23: 361–367. doi:10.1017/S0266467407004099.
  8. "Myrciaria floribunda (H.West ex Willd.) O.Berg". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  9. Julia F. Morton (1987). Fruits of Warm Climates. pp. 388–390. ISBN 0-9610184-1-0. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  10. "Guavaberry Drink and Jam - Cocolo Culture". Retrieved January 16, 2021.
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