''Annona reticulata'' is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree in the plant family Annonaceae and part of the Annonas group. It is best known for its fruit, called custard apple, a common name shared with fruits of several other species in the same genus: '' A. cherimola'' and '' A. squamosa''. Other English common names include ox heart and bullock's heart. The fruit is sweet and useful in preparation of

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

s, but is generally less popular for eating than that of '' A. cherimola''.

Description

It is a small deciduous or semi- evergreen tree reaching to tall with an open, irregular crown. The slender

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are hairless, straight and pointed at the apex (in some varieties wrinkled), to long and to wide. The yellow-green flowers are generally in clusters of three or four to diameter, with three long outer petals and three very small inner ones. Its pollen is shed as permanent tetrads.Walker JW (1971) Pollen Morphology, Phytogeography, and Phylogeny of the Annonaceae. Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, 202: 1–130. The fruits vary in shape, heart-shaped, spherical, oblong or irregular. The size ranges from to , depending on the cultivar. When ripe, the fruit is brown or yellowish, with red highlights and a varying degree of reticulation, depending again on the variety. The flesh varies from juicy and very aromatic to hard with a repulsive taste. The flavor is sweet and pleasant, akin to the taste of 'traditional' custard.

Distribution and habitat

Possibly a native of the Caribbean and Central America, ''Annona reticulata'' is now pantropical. It grows from sea level to altitude in areas of Central America that have alternating wet and dry seasons. It is cultivated and naturalized in many tropical places including Southeast Asia, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Australia, and Africa. In India, the species has migrated from initial cultivation into the wild.

Climate

Although the tree grows optimally in

tropic The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

conditions, it is also found in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

regions. It requires humid conditions (medium to high rainfall). Compared to the other Annonas, it is less drought tolerant. The annual temperature necessary ranges from 17 to 27 °C. It tolerates light night frosts to -2 °C. ''A. reticulata'' grows on many soil types with pH ranging from 5 to 8. It does not tolerate waterlogging or when the water table is too high.

Cultivation

Seeds can be propagated. Other techniques for cultivation are

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

and budding. The tree produces 45 kg of fruits per year. In Asia, the season lasts from July to September, and in the Caribbean, it runs from February to April.

Uses

Food

Custard apple can be eaten raw, out of hand as a fresh fruit. It is not as popular as the sugar apple or the

cherimoya The cherimoya (''Annona cherimola''), also spelled chirimoya and called chirimuya by the Inca people, is a species of edible fruit-bearing plant in the genus '' Annona'', from the family Annonaceae, which includes the closely related sweetsop a ...

. It can also be prepared as juices, ice-cream or puddings. In India, it is cooked into a sauce.

Propagation

''A. reticulata'' may be grown in home gardens, even though it may not be as popular as the sugar apple ( ''A. squamosa''). It has value as rootstock for superior Annona species, such as the sugar apple, especially under humid conditions. It is also a genetic resource for

hybridization Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to: *Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid *Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals *Nu ...

Other

The leaves and the branches can be used for tanning as they contain blue pigments. Wrappers, ornaments and hats can be made from the inner bark. The wood is soft and can be used to make utensiles, even though, it is weak and of bad quality.

Nutrition

In a 100 gram reference amount, custard apple supplies 101

calorie The calorie is a unit of energy. For historical reasons, two main definitions of "calorie" are in wide use. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on ...

s, 23% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C and 17% DV of vitamin B6, with no other

micronutrient Micronutrients are nutrient, essential dietary elements required by organisms in varying quantities throughout life to orchestrate a range of physiological functions to maintain health. Micronutrient requirements differ between organisms; for exam ...

s in significant amounts (table). Raw custard apple is 72% water, 25% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and 1% fat (table).

Risk and impact

''Annona reticulata'' is known to be an invasive plant. A PIER risk assessment gave a score of 11 for the ''Annona reticulata''. It negatively impacts the population cultivating the crop as all parts of the tree (except the fruit) are toxic, possibly causing problems for human health.

Diseases and pests

The diseases that can spread to ''Annona reticulata'' include the Anthracnose, the leaf spot, the diplodia rot and the black canker. The spiral

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

, the stunt nematode and the

mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family (biology), family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Many species are considered pest (animal), pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and sub ...

can also infect the plant

Aroma and phytochemicals

The fragrant aroma of ''A. reticulata'' results from some 180 compounds, including the volatile compounds, alpha-pinene, myrcene, and limonene, among others. The plant is rich in tannins.

Traditional medicine

Various traditional medicine uses have been reported over centuries for its dried fruits, bark, or leaves.

References

External links

Custard apples (''Annona'' spp.)
by H. Mahdeem, 5 July 1998. {{taxonbar, from=Q472653 reticulata Trees of South America Crops originating from South America Tropical fruit Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Pantropical flora