Annona squamosa

Annona squamosa
Cross section of the fruit shown on right
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Annonaceae
Genus:	Annona
Species:	A. squamosa
Binomial name
Annona squamosa L.[2]
Synonyms
Annona asiatica L.[3] Annona cinerea Dunal Guanabanus squamosus (L.)M.Gómez[4] Xylopia glabra L.[5] Annona forskahlii DC.[6]

Annona squamosa is a small, well-branched tree or shrub^[7] from the family Annonaceae that bears edible fruits called sugar apples or sweetsops.^[8] It tolerates a tropical lowland climate better than its relatives Annona reticulata and Annona cherimola^[6] (whose fruits often share the same name)^[3] helping make it the most widely cultivated of these species.^[9] Annona squamosa is a small, semi-(or late) deciduous,^[10] much-branched shrub or small tree 3 to 8 metres (10 to 26 feet) tall^[7][10] similar to soursop (Annona muricata).^[11] It is a native of tropical climate in the Americas and West Indies, and Spanish traders aboard the Manila galleons docking in the Philippines brought it to Asia.^[12]

The fruit is spherical-conical, 5–10 centimetres (2–4 inches) in diameter and 6–10 cm (2+1⁄4–4 in) long, and weighing 100–240 grams (3.5–8.5 ounces), with a thick rind composed of knobby segments. The colour is typically pale green through blue-green, with a deep pink blush in certain varieties, and typically has a bloom. It is unique among Annona fruits in being segmented; the segments tend to separate when ripe, exposing the innards.

The flesh is fragrant and sweet, creamy white through light yellow, and resembles and tastes like custard. The seeds are coated with the flesh, It is found adhering to 13-to-16-millimetre-long (1⁄2 to 5⁄8 in) seeds forming individual segments arranged in a single layer around a conical core. It is soft, slightly grainy, and slippery. The hard, shiny seeds may number 20–40 or more per fruit and have a brown to black coat, although varieties exist that are almost seedless.^[12][13] The seeds can be ground for use as an insecticide.^[8]The stems run through the centre of the fruit connecting it to the outside. The skin is shaped like a Reuleaux triangle coloured green and rough in texture. Due to the soft flesh and structure of the sugar apple it is very fragile to pressure when ripe.

New varieties are also being developed in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The atemoya or "pineapple sugar-apple", a hybrid between the sugar-apple and the cherimoya, is popular in Taiwan, although it was first developed in the United States in 1908. The fruit is similar in sweetness to the sugar-apple, but has a very different taste. As its name suggests, it tastes like pineapple.