Annona reticulata

Annona reticulata is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree in the plant family Annonaceae. It is best known for its fruit, called Custard-apple, a name it shares with fruits of other species from the same family: Annona cherimola and Annona squamosa or sometimes it is called Wild-sweetsop.

Common names

• bullock's-heart, custard-apple, ox-heart, wild sweetsop
• annone réticulée, coeur de boeuf, cachiman, cachimantier, coeur de boeuf, corossolier sauvage, cachiman créme
• Netzannone, Ochsenherz, Schleimapfel
• biribá, fruta-de-condessa, fruta-do-conde, biribarana
• anona corazón, corazón de buey, mamán, cachimán, candón, cherimoya
• ギュウシンリ
• Buah nona, Lonang, Nona kapri
• Аннона сетчатая
• น้อยโหน่ง
• Anonas
• 牛心番荔枝

Description

It is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree reaching to tall with an open, irregular crown.Stems and leaves:The slender leaves are not hairy, straight and pointed at the apex (in some varieties wrinkled), to long and to wide. Flowers: The yellow-green flowers are generally in clusters of three or four to diameter, with three long outer petals and three very small inner ones. Fruits and reproduction:The fruit is variable in shape: heart-shaped or spherical. The size ranges from to , depending on the cultivar. When ripe, the fruit is brown or yellowish, with red highlights and a varying degree of reticulation, depending again on the variety. The flesh varies from juicy and very aromatic to hard with a repulsive taste.

Distribution and habitat

Possibly a native of the Caribbean and Central America, Annona reticulata is now pan-tropical and can be found growing between altitudes of to in areas of Central America that have alternating seasons.

Cultivated and naturalized in many parts of the world including Southeast Asia, Taiwan, India, Australia, and West Africa.Native

Nearctic:

Central Mexico: Veracruz

Neotropic:

Central America: Belize, Chiapas, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

Caribbean: Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Trinidad

Northern South America: Guyana, Venezuela

Brazil: Acre, Amazonas, Bahia, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Para, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

Western South America: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay

Uses

Annona reticulata is best known for its fruit, the custard-apple. The flavor is sweet and pleasant, but inferior to that of the Annona cherimola

For other uses, see Custard-apple.

References

External links

• Species Annona reticulata. UniProt Consortium. Retrieved on 2008-04-16..