| General Information |
| Distribution | Native to the Neotropics, now widely cultivated and naturalized in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.In the Hawaiian Islands,
naturalized on
Ni`ihau, Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Kaho`olawe, Hawai`i.
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Habit
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Shrub or small tree, 3‒10 m tall; young branchlets sharply 4-angled or 4-winged, new growth and branchlets moderately to densely appressed or spreading pilose.
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Leaves
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Leaves short-petiolate; blade elliptic to oblong-elliptic, (3.5‒)6‒15 cm long, (1.5‒)4‒7 cm wide, coriaceous, lateral veins usually 8‒20 on each side, those of adaxial surface impressed, those of abaxial surface distinctly raised, adaxial surface dull, glabrate or puberulent near midrib, abaxial surface evenly appressed to spreading pilose, eventually glabrate, glandular punctate, apex subacute to rounded, base rounded to broadly cuneate; petiole 1‒7 mm long.
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Flowers
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Inflorescences usually solitary or 2‒3-flowered in the leaf axils. Flowers on pedicel 10‒15 mm long; sepals ca. 7‒12 mm long, persistent in fruit; petals white, elliptic, 10‒20 mm long.
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Fruit
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Fruit yellow, globose to pear-shaped, surface irregular, (2.5‒)3‒10 cm in diameter, pulp slightly acid, pink or cream colored.
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Seeds
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Seeds numerous, small, hard, cream colored or tan.
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Chromosomes
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2n = 21 28, 30, 32 34, 44.
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Contributor
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Nancy Khan
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