The atemoya, ''Annona × atemoya'', or ''Annona squamosa × Annona cherimola'' is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

of two

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

s – the

sugar-apple ''Annona squamosa'' is a small, well-branched tree or shrub from the family Annonaceae that bears edible fruits called sugar apples or sweetsops or custard apples. It tolerates a tropical lowland climate better than its relatives '' Annona reticu ...

(''Annona squamosa'') and the

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

(''Annona cherimola'') – which are both native to the American tropics. This fruit is popular in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, where it is known as the "pineapple sugar apple" (), so it is sometimes wrongly believed to be a cross between the sugar-apple and the

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

. In

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

it is known as ''anón'', and in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

''chirimorinon''. In

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, the fruit is called ''achta''. In

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

it is called ''stafeli dogo'' ("mini

soursop Soursop (also called graviola, guyabano, and in Latin America ) is the fruit of ''Annona muricata'', a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree. It is native to the Tropics, tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean and is widely propag ...

"). In

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the ''atemoya'' became popular and in 2011, around 1,200 hectares of atemoya were cultivated in Brazil. In Taiwan, the cultivating area of atemoya was 2,856.46 hectares in 2020, and Taitung County was the major place of cultivating (2,815.19 hectares). An atemoya is normally heart-shaped or rounded, with pale-green, easily bruised, bumpy skin. Near the stem, the skin is bumpy as it is in the sugar-apple, but becomes smoother like the cherimoya on the bottom. The flesh is not segmented like that of the sugar-apple, bearing more similarity to that of the cherimoya. It is very juicy and smooth, tasting slightly sweet and a little tart, reminiscent of a ''

piña colada The piña colada (; , "pineapple", and , "strained") is a cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with either a pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, o ...

''. The taste also resembles

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

from its sugar-apple parent. Many inedible,

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

, black

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s are found throughout the flesh of the atemoya. When ripe, the fruit can be scooped out of the shell and eaten chilled. Annona atemoya

Atemoya (''Annona cherimola × squamosa'') was developed by crossing cherimoya (''A. cherimola'') with sugar-apple (''A. squamosa''). Natural hybrids have been found in Venezuela and chance hybrids were noted in adjacent sugar apple and cherimoya groves in Palestine during the 1930s and 1940s. The first cross was made in 1908 by P.J. Wester, a horticulturist at the USDA's Subtropical Laboratory in Miami. The resulting fruits were of superior quality to the sugar-apple and were given the name "atemoya", a combination of ''ate'', an old Mexican name for sugar-apple, and "moya" from cherimoya. Subsequently, in 1917, Edward Simmons at Miami's Plant Introduction Station successfully grew hybrids that survived a drop in temperature to , showing atemoya's hardiness derived from one of its parents, the cherimoya. The atemoya, like other ''Annona'' trees, bears protogynous, hermaphroditic flowers, and self-pollination is rare. Therefore, artificial,

hand pollination Hand-pollination, also known as mechanical pollination, is a technique that can be used to pollinate plants when natural or open pollination is either undesirable or insufficient. Method This method of pollination is done by manually trans ...

almost always guarantees superior quality fruits. One variety, 'Geffner', produces well without hand pollination. 'Bradley' also produces fair crops without hand pollination, but the fruit has a habit of splitting on the tree. Atemoyas are sometimes misshapen, underdeveloped on one side, as the result of inadequate pollination. An atemoya flower, in its female stage, opens between 2:00 and 4:00 pm; between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm on the following afternoon, the flower converts to its male stage.

Cultivars

* ''Gefner'': It is a very productive Israeli cultivar and is the most satisfactory variety under Florida conditions, and does not require hand pollination (in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

) and produces fruit of good quality. The fruits reach 450 grams and are well-formed. The carpels are narrow and pointed. The pulp is white, juicy and resistant, that is, it does not allow the passage of a spoon. When chewing, the consistency resembles a chewing gum. The fruit is sweet, reaching 25 º Bx. * '' Thompson '': Cultivar with intermediary characteristics between sugar apple and cherimoya. The carpels are narrow, projecting and united near the peduncle. From the median part to the apex of the fruit the carpels are smooth, larger, with irregular contours but well welded. The pulp is white, succulent, and tender, with a creamy consistency, that is, it does not offer resistance to the passage of a spoon at the moment of consumption. The fruit is very sweet, reaching to 25 ºBx. It has desirable characteristics in the various aspects of production, such as good productivity, with fruits of good conformation, when pollination is perfect. Good vigor of plants and relatively tolerant to the various fungal diseases that attack plants. In the plant it is common that fruits with characteristics of the cultivar ''Pink's Mammoth'' arise, which leaves doubts on the recognition of this cultivar. It is the most cultivated cultivar in Brazil.

References

External links

Atemoya The atemoya, ''Annona × atemoya'', or ''Annona squamosa × Annona cherimola'' is a hybrid of two fruits – the sugar-apple (''Annona squamosa'') and the cherimoya (''Annona cherimola'') – which are both native to the American tropics. This ...

Tropical fruit Hybrid fruit {{fruit-stub