This fruit has thin skin that ranges from yellow to a dark red or purple, is ovular in shape, and grows to around 4 cm in length.

It is now highly prevalent in tropical rain forest ecosystems due mainly to accidental transportation and its invasive plant properties.

[14] Its invasive quality may be explained by a high amount of genetic variation, as variants of different fruit colors cluster at different elevations.

[17] It is also capable of withstanding heavy leaf litter and responding to bending or breaking of its branches by generating vigorous shoots.

[10] Preliminary research suggests that P. cattleyanum is allelopathic,[14] as its roots have been found to inhibit the growth of at least two other plant species when soil pH was not a factor.

[20] It tends to form dense, monotypic stands which prevent regrowth of native species, and is very difficult to eradicate; it also provides refuge for fruit flies which cause extensive agricultural damage.

[16] P. cattleyanum acts as an invasive by creating dense thickets that crowd out sunlight, limiting the potential for other plant species to coexist.

[11] Despite the great threat that P. cattleyanum poses to many tropical ecosystems, some studies indicate that isolated groups can be totally eradicated after three to four years of proper management applications, such as cutting and burning mature individuals and applying herbicide to stumps.

[12] This management strategy, known as the “special ecological areas,” is one of the strongest ways of controlling plant species over time.

[10] However, results from such efforts are often unsuccessful due to the lack of dependence upon the animals for dispersal, as germination occurs under a wide variety of conditions.

[11] This biological control approach is used because certain insects cause damage to P. cattleyanum in a way that either prevents the tree from reproducing or kills them outright.

Most of the proposed insects infect the tree with bud or leaf galls, effectively preventing fruit growth or photosynthesis.

[11] Once such species, the sawfly (Haplostegus epimelas), attacked commercially produced guava plants in addition to invasive P.

[26] The wood of the tree is hard, compact, durable, and resistant, and is used for lathe work, tool handles, charcoal, and firewood.