safford: genus annona 119 



Annona then, and not Anona, must be the name used for the 

 genus. It was published in the first edition of the Species Plan- 

 tarum (1753), from which modern binomial nomenclature takes 

 its origin; and it is equivalent to Plunder's genus Guanabanus, 

 as stated by Linnaeus in his Genera Plantarum (1754). He 

 changes the name to Annona, and typifies the genus by the species 

 Annona muricata, Plunder's " Guanabanus fructu e viride lutes- 

 cente molliter aculeato." 3 



The name of the family must also preserve its original form 

 Annonaceae, as published by Richard in 1808; not "Anonaceae," 

 as published by Dunal in 1817, and by DeCandolle in 181 8. 4 



The genus is naturally divided into several sections owing to the 

 diversity in the form of the flowers. The subdivisions generally 

 accepted heretofore have been: Guanabani (Plunder), including 

 Annona muricata and its allies; Attce (Martius), including Annona 

 squamosa and its allies; and Anonellce (Baillon), based upon 

 Annona globiflora, a dwarf shrubby plant of eastern Mexico. 



The discovery of new species with characters quite distinct 

 from any of those included in the above sections has made an addi- 

 tional subdivision necessary, based upon Annona macroprophyllata 

 the most striking peculiarity of which is the presence of broad 

 persistent leaf-like bracts at the base of the peduncle. In con- 

 forming with modern botanical usage the author proposes the 

 following names for the subdivisions of the genus. 



Section I. Euannona (Type, Annona muricata). — In this 

 section the flowers have a corolla composed of 6 broadly ovate 

 or orbicular concave petals in two series, the 3 outer ones thick 

 and leathery and more or less cordate at the base, the 3 inner ones 

 somewhat smaller and thinner but conspicuous. Here are placed 

 Annona muricata, the soursop, which is the type of the genus 

 Annona; Annona montana, the wild soursop of the West Indies; 

 Annona glabra, the alligator apple of mangrove swamps; Annona 

 purpurea, the soncoya of southern Mexico and Central America; 

 and Annona uncinata, an undescribed species from the tierra 

 caliente of Mexico. 



'Linnaeus Sp. PI. 536. 1753— Gen. PI. 241. 1754. 



4 Richard, Demonstr. Bot. ou Analyse du Fruit, 17. 1808. 



