ANNONA FAMILY (ANNONACEAE) 



Key to the 6 species illustrated (Xos. 36-41) 



A. Frnlf 1 from a flower, from many pistils united. 



B. Leaves with tiny pockets on lower leaf surface where side veins join midrib : 

 spines. 



C. Leaves broadest at middle; fruit with short, straight spines, inedible — 36. 

 CC. Leaves broadest beyond middle ; fruit with long, curved spines, edible — 37. 



BB. Leaves without iiocl-cets ; fruits smooth, edilile. 



D. Fruit with networlv of lines on surface — 38. Annoiia rrticulata* 

 DD. Fruit composed of many rounded tubercles — 39. Aiinona sqKamosa* 



AA. Fruits many from a flower, separate, inedible. 



E. Leaves ovate to oblong, long-pointed, thin: fruits with long stalks — tO. Cananga odorata.* 

 EE. Leaves oblong, short-pointed or rounded at apex, leathery; fruits nearly stalkless — 11. Guattcria tlainii. 



fruits bearing many fleshy 



Annona montana. 

 Annona muricata.* 



36. Guanabana cimarrona, wild soursop 



(Tu:tiial):ui;i cimarroiiu, a wild species with in- 

 edible fruit, is characterized by : ( 1 ) short-stalked 

 oblong or elliptic leaves ;]-7 inches long and 11/2-3 

 inches wide, abruptly long-pointed at apex and 

 rounded or short -pointed at base, alternate and in 

 •2 rows; (2) tiny hairy pockets or pits on the lower 

 leaf surfaces where the lateral veins join the mid- 

 rib; (3) greenish broad flowers single or paired 

 on older twigs, about 1-1% inches long, composed 

 of 3 heart-shaped, broacl, short-pointed, thick 

 fleshy outer petals; and (4) nearly round or egg- 

 shaped green to yellowish fruit 'IV^--^ inches in di- 

 ameter, with many short straight fleshy spines and 

 yellowish inedil)le pulp. 



A small deciduous tree to -20 feet in height, with 

 an irregular spreading crown. The gray or brown 

 bark is smoothish, with raised dots (lenticels), be- 

 coming slightly fissured and slightly rough. Inner 

 bark is brown and tasteless. The twigs are brown. 



The petioles are i/i-% inch long. Blades are 

 slightly thickened and leathery, the edges without 

 teeth, shiny dark green above, and paler light 

 green beneath. 



The stout flower stalks about % inch long are 

 borne on older twigs. There are 3 broad, pointed, 

 finely hairy sepals about %,5 inch long; 6 concave, 

 fleshy, minutely hairy, greenish petals, the 3 outer 

 petals about 1-1% inches long, meeting by their 

 edges to form the bud, and the 3 inner petals 

 rounded and stalked, about 1 inch long, less thick 

 and overlapping; very numerous narrow stamens 

 %6 inf*h long, crowded in a rounded mass ^'o ii^ch 

 in diameter on the conical floral axis; and many 

 narrow separate pistils %6 "ich long, crowded in 

 a central mass. 



The aggregate fruit is composed of the numer- 

 ous united pistils and is covered with many soft 

 greenish spines about Vs inch long, each represent- 



Annona montana Macfadyen 



ing a style. There are many shiny brown oblong 

 seeds about % inch long. Probably flowering and 

 fruiting most of the year. 



The sapwood is light brown and soft. The wood 

 is used only for fuel. Elsewhere, such as in south- 

 ern Florida, the tree has been grown as a stock 

 for budding other species. 



In forests of the dry coast and southern slopes 

 of the Cordillera of Puerto Eico. Also in Vieques 

 and St. Croix. 



Public forest. — Susua. 



Range. — Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto 

 Rico and St. Croix, Saba, St. Eustatius, Antigua, 

 Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Trinidad. Also 

 from Venezuela and (luianas to Brazil and Peru. 

 Planted in southern Florida. 



Other common names.- -guanabana cimarrona, 

 guanabana de perro (Dominican Re])ublic) ; 

 guanabana cimarrona, guanabana de loma (Cuba) ; 

 guanabana, turagua (Venezuela) ; guanabana 

 (Peru) ; momitain soursop, wild soursop (United 

 States, English) ; corossol zombi (Haiti) ; bos- 

 zuurzak (Surinam) ; araticum ape (Brazil). 



A related native species is coyur or pond-apple 

 (Annona glabra L.), called also corazon cimarron, 

 a small tree of coastal swamps of Puerto Rico and 

 the Virgin Islands and of wide distribution north 

 to soutliern Florida. It is distinguished by the 

 smooth, yellowish, egg-shaped fruits. The pale 

 yellow pulp is almost tasteless but can be eaten. 

 The wood, which is vei-y lightweight, has been 

 used for floats of fishing nets and for bottle 

 .stoppers. 



In addition to the 3 following species of culti- 

 vated fruit trees, a few other species of this genus 

 have been introduced experimentally as fruit trees. 

 The generic name has been spelled Anona also. 



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