Annona muricata L.

  • Authority

    Popenoe, Wilson. 1924. Economic fruit-bearing plants of Ecuador. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 24: i-ix, 101-134. pl. 34-49.

  • Family

    Annonaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Annona muricata L.

  • Description

    Description - The soursop, as the species is called in English, is a small tree, slender in habit and rarely more than 6 meters high. The leaves are obovate to elliptic, 6 to 15 cm. long, leathery, glossy above, and glabrous on the lower surface- The flowers are large, and the fruit is the largest of the anonas; specimens weighing 2 kilograms are common. It is ovoid, heart-shaped, or conical, dark green, with many short fleshy spines on the surface. The flesh is white, somewhat cottony in texture, juicy, and of a highly aromatic flavor, somewhat resembling that of the pineapple. The seeds are much like those of the chirimoya. The soursop is native in tropical America.

  • Common Names

    guanábana, soursop