''Annona aurantiaca'' is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the family

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...

. It is native to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

João Barbosa Rodrigues João Barbosa Rodrigues (June 22, 1842 – March 6, 1909) was considered one of Brazil's greatest botanists, known especially for his work on orchids and palms. For nearly two decades he was director of the Botanic Garden of Rio de Janeiro. Somet ...

, the Brazilian botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its orange colored ( in Latin) petals.

Description

It is a woody

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

bush-like tree 1–5 meters in height. Its stems are erect and covered in small hairs called

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...

s. Its oblong, leathery, blueish-green leaves lack distinct petioles and are blunt or notched at their tips. The leaves are 3-15 long by 2-7 centimeters wide. Its flowers are solitary on 3 centimeter long peduncles. The outer petals of the flowers are orange. Its

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

-fruit are golden yellow to orange with white flesh and black seeds. It has a medium to dark mauve fruit coat color with an uneven, rough outer surface. The simple green leaves are attached to the petiole. The single leaf has an oval shape, smooth margin and rounded blade tip. The leaf

phyllotaxy In botany, phyllotaxis () or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem. Phyllotactic spirals form a distinctive class of patterns in nature. Leaf arrangement The basic arrangements of leaves on a stem are opposite and alternat ...

is alternately attached along the stems of the plant. This is called alternate arrangement as the stems grow staggered at different heights from each other. The venation in the leaf blade is

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

. It has a singl
midrib
and secondary veins branching off the midvein.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''Annona aurantiaca'' is shed as permanent tetrads. Its flowers open over a two night period with a female phase on the first night, and a male phase on the second night. It is pollinated by the scarab beetle ''

Cyclocephala ''Cyclocephala'' is a genus of scarab beetles from the subfamily Dynastinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Beetles of this genus occur from southeastern Canada to Argentina and the West Indies. Adults of this genus are nocturnal or crepuscular, an ...

atricapilla''.

Uses

The pulp of the fruit has been reported to be edible and stores well outside. Although the berry-like fruit pulp is sweet and edible, the seed is poisonous.

Distribution and habitat

A. aurantiaca is native to South America and is widely distributed, particularly in the savanna (

Cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are t ...

) and

forests A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

of Brazil. It grows ideally in shaded areas in sandy, clay soil. This plant is considered fast-growing and develops into a small shrub-like tree reaching approximately 4 meters at maturity.

Growth and propagation

In its native climate, the growing season is year-round. The seeds can

germinate Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...

between 25-28 degrees Celsius and germination takes between 2 and 6 weeks. Propagation can be achieved by

sowing Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area or object that has had seeds planted in it will be described as a sowed or sown area. Plants which are usually sown Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sown, grasses and leg ...

the seeds directly or by planting cuttings. A consistent temperature of 15-20 degrees Celsius is required for successful sowing. Prior to sowing, hot water may be poured over the seeds and the seeds must be allowed to soak for 24 to 48 hours to reduce germination time. This plant requires consistently moist soil to thrive but can tolerate both bright sunlight and partial shade. While requiring consistent moisture, the seed can be planted in potting soil mixed with sand or

perlite Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently. It is an industrial m ...

to ensure proper drainage. The long term use of fertilizer is also effective at assisting in sowing. This plant tends to encounter pests such as spider mites (

Tetranychus urticae ''Tetranychus urticae'' (common names include red spider mite and two-spotted spider mite) is a species of plant-feeding mite generally considered to be a pest. It is the most widely known member of the family Tetranychidae or spider mites. It ...

) particularly in the dry, humid months. To maintain plant health during

overwintering Overwintering is the process by which some organisms pass through or wait out the winter season, or pass through that period of the year when "winter" conditions (cold or sub-zero temperatures, ice, snow, limited food supplies) make normal activi ...

, considered between the temperatures of 10-15 degrees Celsius, enough water must be added so that the roots do not dry out completely.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15400402 auriantiaca Plants described in 1898 Flora of Brazil Taxa named by João Barbosa Rodrigues