The Description.

Simon de Tovar sent Clusius a branch of the tree which the Spaniards call Guayavas, from which he drew this figure, and thus describes it. This branch (saith Clusius) whose upper part together with the fruit I caused to be drawn, was some foot long, four square, alternately set with leaves growing by couples, being four inches long, and one and a half or two broad, of the form of Bay leaves, very firm, having a swelling rib running alongst the lower side, with veins running obliquely from thence to the sides, of an ash or grayish colour beneath, but smooth above, with the veins less appearing; which broken, though old, yet retained the smell of Bay leaves, and also after some sort the taste: the fruit was smooth, yet shriveled, because peradventure it was unripe, of the bigness of a small apple, longish, blackish on the outside like a ripe plum, but within full of a reddish pulp, of an acid taste; and in the middle were many whitish seeds of the bigness of Millet, or those that are in figs.

Nicolas Monardus (as he is turned into Latin by Clusius) thus gives us the history of Guayavas, in his 64th Chapter. It is a tree, saith he, of an indifferent bigness) and hath spreading branches, the leaf of the Bay, and a white flower, like that of the Orange, yet somewhat bigger, and well smelling; it easily grows, wheresoever it be sown, and so spreads and creeps that it is accounted as a weed, for it spoils the grass of many pastures, with the too much spreading as brambles do; the fruit is like to our apples, of the bigness of those the Spaniards call Camuesas, green at the first, and of a golden colour when they be ripe, with their inner pulp, white, and sometimes red; divided: it hath four cells wherein lie the seeds, like those of the medlars, very hard, of a brownish colour, wholly stony, without kernel and taste.

A. The fruit is usually eaten, the rind being first taken off; it is pleasing to the palate, wholesome and easy of concoction; being green it is good in fluxes of the belly, for it powerfully binds; and over, or throughly ripe it looseth the belly; but between both, that it is neither too green, nor over-ripe, if roasted, it is good both for sound and sick; for so handled it is wholesomer, and of a more pleasing taste; that also is the better which is gathered from domestic and husbanded trees. The Indians profitably bathe their swollen legs in the decoction of the leaves; and by the same they free the spleen from obstructions. The fruit seems to be cold, wherefore they give it roasted to such as are in fevers. It grows commonly in all the West Indies. Thus much Monardus.