Guava — Lucknow-49 (Sardar)

Lucknow-49 guava (Psidium guajava cv. Lucknow-49) is a named cultivar of the common guava, a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae).1 The selection was developed in India and is also sold under the names L-49 and Sardar; it is one of the leading commercial white-fleshed guava cultivars grown across tropical and subtropical regions.24 The species itself is native to tropical America, from Central and South America, and has long since naturalized and been cultivated throughout warm parts of Asia, including India where this cultivar originated.1 For a homesteader, the appeal is straightforward: guava is a fast-growing fruit tree, and Lucknow-49 is a comparatively compact, large-fruited form that suits an orchard row or even a large container.23

As a cultivar, Lucknow-49 is a relatively compact tree compared with some other guava varieties, typically reaching about 3 to 4.5 m tall with a similar spread under cultivation.3 A maturing trunk carries copper-colored bark that peels to reveal pink and green tones beneath, a recognizable trait noted in nursery descriptions of this cultivar.2 At the species level, common guava bears opposite, simple, elliptic-to-oblong leaves roughly 5 to 15 cm long with prominent veins and a faint aroma when crushed, on a spreading crown that grows rapidly in warm climates.1

Growing Lucknow-49 guava

This is a tree for warm, frost-free conditions. Guava is a tropical to subtropical fruit tree, and Lucknow-49 is described as thriving in tropical and subtropical climates with warm temperatures, well suited to a wide range of climates and soils provided it is frost-free or protected from frost.3 At the species level, guava grows from sea level up to roughly 1,500 m in the tropics, performs best around a mean temperature of about 23 to 28 °C, slows its growth and fruiting below about 15 °C, and is injured by frost.1

Primary horticultural sources do not assign a USDA hardiness zone to Lucknow-49 specifically, but common guava is generally grown outdoors in roughly USDA zones 9 to 11, tolerating brief dips to about -3 to -4 °C before damage.1 A U.S. nursery selling Lucknow-49 recommends it as a patio or container plant across a wide zone range, grown outside in the warm months and brought indoors or otherwise protected over winter in colder regions.2 For homestead planning, treat it as an outdoor tree in roughly zones 9 to 11 and as a winter-protected container plant where freezes occur.2

For propagation, the practical route is to start with a vegetatively produced plant rather than seed. Lucknow-49 is widely offered as grafted plants, which are favored because they bear fruit early, and as tissue-culture plants selected for uniformity and disease-free, true-to-type stock.34 Detailed spacing, soil, and irrigation schedules are not specified for this cultivar in the available sources, so they are left out here rather than stated with false precision; in practice, give a guava tree full sun and free-draining ground, and use the compact 3 to 4.5 m size of Lucknow-49 as your guide when setting it out.3

Harvest and uses

Lucknow-49 is grown for its fruit, which is large and round to round-oval.235 One nursery lists individual fruit weights of about 0.6 to 0.85 kg (roughly 1.4 to 1.9 lb), which is very large for a guava.2 The skin matures to a greenish-yellow to yellowish-green color and is rough or bumpy with a thick peel, while the flesh is milky-white to creamy white, sweet, juicy, and aromatic, sometimes faintly tart but sweet overall.235 As with typical guava, the central pulp holds numerous hard seeds; in India the cultivar is classed as a white-fleshed table and processing variety, suiting it to both fresh eating and processed products such as pulp and preserves.25 Specific per-tree yield figures and time-to-first-harvest are not documented in the available sources for this cultivar, so they are deliberately omitted; the practical reason growers favor grafted Lucknow-49 plants is precisely that they begin bearing early.3

How to identify it

Within the broader guava species, Lucknow-49 can be recognized by a combination of cultivar and species traits:1235

• Habit: A relatively compact guava tree, about 3 to 4.5 m tall with a similar spread, growing rapidly in warm climates.3
• Bark: Copper-colored bark on the maturing trunk that peels to reveal pink and green tones beneath.2
• Leaves: Opposite, simple, elliptic to oblong, roughly 5 to 15 cm long, with prominent veins and a faint scent when crushed.1
• Fruit: Large, round to round-oval, with rough greenish-yellow skin and a thick peel.235
• Flesh: Milky-white to creamy white, sweet, juicy, and aromatic, with many small hard seeds in the pulp.25

Safety and cautions

The ripe guava fruit and the leaves are generally regarded as edible, and guava leaves have a long history of traditional and folk use.1 However, standard toxicology references note that for guava the roots and bark are considered poisonous, so these parts should not be consumed.1 Guava leaf and fruit extracts can also interact with medications and are not considered safe at therapeutic doses during pregnancy.1 This profile describes traditional use only and makes no medical claim; anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, or taking prescription medication, should seek qualified advice before using concentrated guava leaf or fruit preparations. Eat the ripe fruit as a fruit, and leave the roots and bark alone.1

Sources

1. Psidium guajava (common guava) — Wikipedia
2. Lucknow-49 White Guava Tree (Psidium guajava) — Ken’s Nursery
3. Guava L-49 Tissue Culture Plants (Psidium guajava) — Celgen Biotech
4. L-49 White Guava (Lucknow-49) — Santhi Online Plants
5. Sardar / Lucknow-49 (L-49) Guava Variety — Tapobon