Desma Windari

03111002006
Mining Engineering
Guava Tree

The guava is a shrub or a general shade tree that often grows naturally in the house gardens in
the tropical regions. The guava trees normally grow up to a height of four meters and bears
large leaves with conspicuous veins. The leaves grow in pairs and opposite each other on the
slender, but firm branches. The plant also bears diminutive white hued flowers that possess
several stamens maturing into smoothed or pear-shaped, yellowish fruits containing
numerous seeds. The flesh of the guava fruit has a pink or yellowish hue and is very
delectable as well as nutritious. What is more important is that the fruit is very rich in vitamin
C content.
The color of the guava tree timber varies between yellow to reddish and are condensed,
superbly grained and reasonably sturdy. Each cubic meter of the guava tree wood weighs
anything between 650 kg and 670 kg and is long-lasting when used indoors. Guava tree wood
is widely used in turnery and carpentry. The wood of this tree has an inclination to become
distorted when seasoned, but is still in great demand in Malaya where it is extensively used of
in making handles. In India, the guava tree wood is appreciated and exploited for carvings
and etchings. On the other hand, people in Guatemala exploit the guava wood for making
spinning tops, while in El Salvador people manufacture trendy hair combs that decay on
being wet. In addition, the wood is excellent as fuel wood and a valuable resource for
charcoal.
The leaves and barks of the guava tree enclose high percentage of tannins. Normally, the
tannin content in the dry guava leaves is around 10 per cent by weight, while tannins make up
11-30 per cent of the barks. In Central America, people exploit the guava tree barks for
tanning hides. In Malaya, people uses the leaves of the guava tree along with other plant
substances to prepare a black coloring for silk, while people in Southeast Asia use the leaves
of the tree to add a black color to cotton. People in Indonesia use the guava leaves as a
colorant for matting. Ripened guava is eaten raw and tastes delicious.