406 [ THE SCALY CUSTARD-APPLE OR SWEET- SOP. 



by the ovipositor of that insect. Both species may be 

 grafted or budded on each other, but it is the general 

 practice to grow them directly from seed saved from the 

 earliest and largest fruits. 



THE PRICKLY CUSTARD APPLE 



OR SOUR-SOP. 

 Anona muricata L. ANON ACE AE. 



The tree grows to a larger size than the two pre- 

 ceding species. The foliage is much larger, of a light 

 green colour, and smooth on both surfaces. The fruit is 

 large and irregular, covered with the hardened extre- 

 mities of the carpels, which give it a prickly appearance, 

 and become slightly brownish green at maturity. It has 

 the perfume of the Cherimoyer but to a less degree, and 

 is decidedly acid or sour in taste. The tree has a more 

 sturdy habit of growth than the other two species, but its 

 requirements and cultivation are the same. The tree 

 had disappeared from our gardens, probably owing to the 

 inferior quality of the fruit, but was introduced again 

 in 1902. 



THE SCALY CUSTARD-APPLE 



OR SWEET SOP. 

 Anona squamosa L. ANONACEAE. 



The Sweet-sop is a shrub requiring a hotter climate 

 than ours for its proper development. It is usually culti- 

 vated as a pot plant, and placed in sunny and sheltered 

 corners where it thrives well in summer. The fruit is 

 small, round, finely sculptured into small regular scales, 

 and ripens in October. It is sweet and deliciously 

 flavoured. The leaves are small but elongated, and the 

 seeds are narrower but longer than those of the other 



