Agroforestree Database

Local names:
 Arabic (gishta), Bengali (ata), Creole (cachiman), Dutch (kannelappel), English (sweet sop,custard apple,sugar apple), Filipino (atis), French (cachiman canelle,pomme de cannelle,attier), German (Rahm- Annone,Rahmapfel,Zimtapfel,Süßsack), Hindi (sitaphal

Annona squamosa is a small, semi-deciduous tree, 3-7 m in height, with a broad, open crown or irregularly spreading branches; bark light brown with visible leaf scars and smoothish to slightly fissured into plates; inner bark light yellow and slightly bitter; twigs become brown with light brown dots (lenticels).

Leaves occur singly, 6-17 x 3-6 cm, lanceolate or oblong lanceolate, pale green on both surfaces and glabrate or nearly so; sides sometimes slightly unequal; edges without teeth, inconspicuously hairy, at least when young, minutely dotted on examination with a lens; thin, dull green to dark green on top surface, and pale blue-green and covered with bloom on underside; apex short or long pointed; base short pointed or rounded; petioles 0.6-1.3 cm long, green, sparsely pubescent.

Flowers greenish-yellow, fragrant, on slender hairy stalks, produced singly or in short lateral clusters about 2.5 cm long, 2-4 flowers but not at the base of the leaves; sepals pointed, hairy, green, about 16 mm long; 3 outer petals oblong, thick and rounded at the tips, fleshy, 1.6-2.5 cm long, 0.6 cm wide, yellow-green, slightly hairy, inside light yellow and keeled with a purplish or reddish spot at the thin, enlarged base; inner petals 3 minute, ovate, pointed scales; stamens very numerous, crowded, white, less than 16 mm long; ovary light green, styles white, crowded on the raised axis.

The aggregate fruit formed from the numerous pistils of a flower, which are loosely united, is soft and distinct from other species of the genus. Each pistil forms a separate tubercle, mostly 1.3-1.9 cm long and 0.6-1.3 cm wide. Fruit is round, heart shaped, ovate or conical, 5-10 cm in diameter, with many round protuberances; greenish-yellow when ripe, with a white, powdery bloom; the pulp is white, edible and sweetly aromatic; in each carpel is embedded a seed, oblong, shiny and smooth, blackish or dark brown, 1.3-1.6 cm long, numerous.

The genus name, ‘Annona’ is from the Latin word ‘anon’, meaning ‘yearly produce’, referring to the production of fruits of the various species in this genus. A. squamosa has been named botanically from Jamaica.

Ecology

A. squamosa is distributed throughout the tropics and is preeminently a desert fruit. Trees do well in hot and relatively dry climates such as those of the low-lying interior plains of many tropical countries.

A. squamosa has the reputation, particularly in India, of being a hardy, drought-resistant crop. This is only partly correct. Although the rest period and leaf fall enable the tree to bridge a severe dry season, it requires adequate moisture during the growing season, responding well to supplementary irrigation. The importance of moisture is borne out by the fact that in India as well as Southeast Asia, fruit set is largely limited to the onset of the rains, not withstanding the prolonged flowering season. Trees are common on the dry coast of Puerto Rico, and also grow in Vieques, St Croix, St Thomas, St John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda.

Native range
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (US)

Tree management

Trees are planted 5-6 m apart or 10-12 m when grown with mango trees. This slow-growing tree must be protected from browsing animals. If well looked after, it will start producing fruit after about 2 years. Regular watering and weeding are required for good fruit production. Soil needs to be fertilized generously for better fruit yield. Commercial fertilizer containing 3% nitrogen, 10% phosphoric acid and 10% potash is recommended. A mature tree, 5 m high, produces several dozen fruits in a season. Biological control and chemicals including malathion and dimethoate acephate are used to control pests. Trees are sprayed with bordeaux, fermate, phygon, and zerlate to control anthracnose disease.

Seed storage behaviour is orthodox. If kept dry, seeds retain their viability for several years. No loss in viability occurs during 6 months hermetic storage at -20 deg. C and 1.5% mc, but loss in viability occurs if seeds are stored at room temperature.

A. squamosa is distributed throughout the tropics and is preeminently a desert fruit. Trees do well in hot and relatively dry climates such as those of the low-lying interior plains of many tropical countries.

A. squamosa has the reputation, particularly in India, of being a hardy, drought-resistant crop. This is only partly correct. Although the rest period and leaf fall enable the tree to bridge a severe dry season, it requires adequate moisture during the growing season, responding well to supplementary irrigation. The importance of moisture is borne out by the fact that in India as well as Southeast Asia, fruit set is largely limited to the onset of the rains, not withstanding the prolonged flowering season. Trees are common on the dry coast of Puerto Rico, and also grow in Vieques, St Croix, St Thomas, St John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda.

Seeds are planted, with no pretreatment, in rich soil and covered to a depth of not more than 2 cm, then sparingly watered. They germinate within 2-4 weeks, and the seedlings are ready for planting out after 6 months. Budding is done at the beginning of the growing season when the sap flows freely. Cleft-grafting is the method more commonly used.  Air-layering, inarching and marcotting are also practised.

Poison:  Green fruits, seeds and leaves have effective vermicidal and insecticidal properties.

  Fruits are normally eaten fresh. The pulp can be used as a flavouring in ice cream. Between 50-80% of the fruit is edible. The vitamin C content is appreciable (35-42 mg/100 g) and slightly higher than in grapefruit. The nutrient value of thiamine, potassium and dietary fibre is also significant.

The tree is a good source of firewood.

Timber:  The light yellow sapwood and brownish heartwood are soft, light in weight and weak.

Shade or shelter:  A. squamosa can be planted as a shade tree.

Medicine:  Leaves, shoots, bark and roots have been reported to have medicinal properties. The unripe fruit is astringent, and the root is a drastic purgative.

Ornamental:  The attractive tree is grown in gardens.

Intercropping:  Trees are grown with mango, banana and coffee trees.