Publication
from Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0
by C. Orwa, A. Mutua, R. Kindt, R. Jamnadass and S. Anthony
Annona muricata L.
Local Names: Creole (saua
sap, kowól); Dutch (soursap, sorsaka, zuurzak); English (durian
blanda, custard apple, soursop); Filipino (atti, llabanos, guayabano);
French (corossol, corosselier, corossolier, corossel, corossol
épineux, sappadillo, cachiman épineux, cachimantier); German
(Sauersack, Stachelannone, Stachliger); Indonesian (nangka
seberng, sirsak); Javanese (nangka belanda, sirsak); Khmer (tiep
banla, tiep barang); Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (khièp thét, khan
thalot); Malay (durina makkah, durian benggala, durian belanda);
Portuguese (coraçao-derainha, graviola); Spanish (coraçao
de Rainha, araticu-ponhé, anona
espinhosa, catuche, curassol, graviola, guanábana, jaca do
pará, pinha azeda, zapote agrio, jaca de pobre); Swahili
(mstafeli); Thai (riannam, thurian-khaek, thurian-thet); Tigrigna
(anona); Vietnamese (mang câù xiêm)
Family:
Annonaceae
Botanic Description
Annona muricata is a
slender, evergreen tree, 5-10 m in height and 15 cm in diameter; trunk
straight; bark smooth, dull grey or grey-brown, rough and fissured with
age; inner bark pinkish and tasteless; branches at first ascending with
the crown forming an inverted cone, later spreading; crown at maturity
spherical due to lack of apical dominance; twigs brown or grey, bearing
minute raised dots (lenticels); root system extensive and superficial,
spreading beyond the diameter of the crown although shallow rooted;
juvenile plants have a taproot that is eventually lost.
Leaves
alternate, 7.6-15.2 cm long, 2.5-7.6 cm wide, leathery, obovate to
elliptic, glossy on top, glabrous on underside, simple; stipules
absent; blade oblanceolate, green on top, paler and dull on under side
with fine lateral nerves; a strong, pungent odour; petioles short, 3-10
mm long.
Flower terminal or lateral, large; stalks stout, green,
1.3-1.9 cm long; 3 sepals, minute, inconspicuous, broad, green, 3 mm
long, triangular; petals yellowish-green, 6 in 2 whorls of 3, outer
petals larger, ovate-acute, valvate, cordate with pointed apex (heart
shaped), 4-5 x 3-4 cm, 3 mm thick and fleshy, fitting together at edges
in bud and rough on the outside; 3 inner petals, narrow, smaller,
nearly 3.8 cm long, thinner, rounded, concave with fingernail-shaped
base and overlapping edges; stamens numerous, shield shaped, united
below; anthers parallel and opening longitudinally; carpels numerous,
overtopping the stamens, each with 1 ovule; pistils white, narrow, 5 mm
long, with sticky stigmas.
Fruit 14-40 x 10-18 cm, weighing up to 7 kg, ovoid, heart shaped, an
oblong syncarp composed of numerous united pistils, pistils end in a
fleshy spine or short base of spine 1.5 mm or more in length, which
grows from the style; often asymmetric due to incomplete fertilization
of the ovules; epidermis often shining, dark green, with short, fleshy
spines covering each carpel; pulp white, fibrous and juicy; seeds
shiny, dark brown or black, oblong, up to 2 cm long, 0.7 cm wide.
The
genus name ‘Annona’ is from the Latin word ‘anon’, meaning ‘yearly
produce’, referring to the fruit production habits of the various
species in this genus.
Biology
Flowers
are protandrous, and the pollen is shed as the outer petals open
towards the evening. The inner petals open much later and only very
slightly, admitting small insects attracted by the fragrance of the
flowers. Beetles of several species are important in carrying out
natural pollination. Presumably these insects effect cross-pollination,
though rather inadequately, for few flowers set fruit and many fruits
are misshapen since numerous ovules are not fertilized. Hand
pollination is effective in improving fruit yield and quality. Fruiting
starts in the 2nd year, and 5-yearold trees produce 10-50 fruits,
depending on pollination efficiency and nutrient status. Sporadic
flowering and fruiting can occur all year round in favourable
conditions.
Ecology
A. muricata
survives in the humid tropical and subtropical lowlands. It is common
on the coast and is found on slopes. Planted for its fruit, it has
become wild or naturalized in thickets, pastures and along roads. The
species is commonly cultivated in homegardens and is found in rural
garden areas on volcanic and raised limestone islands, where it is
occasionally naturalized. Trees are not found on atolls. They withstand
very little frost.
A. muricata occurs
throughout the West Indies except in the Bahamas, and from Mexico to
Brazil. It is common at Key West but infrequent on the mainland of
southern Florida. It is planted in Puerto Rico, commonly on the slopes
of Cordillera; also in Vieques, St Croix, St Thomas, St John, Tortolla
and Virgin Gorda.
Biophysical Limits
Mean annual temperature: 25-30 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: Over 1000 mm
Soil type: Prefers loose, fairly rich, deep loams with a pH range of 5.5-6.5.
Documented Species Distribution
Native:
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French
Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles,
Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and
Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam, Trinidad and
Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (US), Zanzibar
Exotic: Benin, Cambodia, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Guinea, India, Indonesia, Laos, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Papua New
Guinea, Philippines, Reunion, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania,
Thailand, Togo, Uganda, US, Vietnam
The
map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does
neither suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological
zone within that country, nor that the species can not be planted in
other countries than those depicted. Since some tree species are
invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to your
planting site.
Products
Food: A. muricata
can be consumed fresh for dessert when fully ripe or mixed with ice
cream or milk to make a delicious drink, as is done in Java and in Cuba
and other parts of America. However, more often the puree is consumed
after squeezing the pulp through a sieve. It can be made into fruit
jelly, juice (with sugar added), nectar or syrup. In Indonesia
sweetcake (‘dodol sisrak’) is made by boiling A. muricata
pulp in water and adding sugar until the mixture hardens. In the
Philippines, young fruits with seeds that are still soft are used as a
vegetable. Mature but firm fruits may be made into candy of delicate
flavour and aroma.
A. muricata
fruit consists of about 67.5% edible pulp, 20% peel, 8.5% seeds and 4%
core by weight. Sugars constitute about 68% of the total solids. The
fruit is a good source of vitamins B (0.07 mg/100g) and C (20 mg/100 g)
and a poor to fair source of calcium and phosphorus. The most desirable
characteristics of the fruit are its extremely pleasing fragrance and
flavour.
Timber: Sapwood
is whitish and heartwood brown. The wood is soft, light (specific
gravity of 0.4), not durable; it is rarely used as timber but has been
used for ox yokes.
Poison:
Powder of dried leaves and sap from fresh ones are useful in destroying
vermin. A powder or oil from the seeds has been used to kill lice and
bedbugs. All tree parts have insecticidal properties and can be used,
with fruit as bait, to kill fish.
Medicine:
The crushed leaves are applied to mature boils and abscesses or are
used as a remedy for distention and dyspepsia, scabies and skin
diseases, rheumatism, coughs and colds. The leaves may also be used to
make a decoction, which is taken orally with salt for digestive tract
ailments and to relieve fatigue. A crushed leaf and seed decoction is
taken orally for intestinal malaise. A massage of the leaves is good
for nervous shock, while a leaf or bark decoction is used for anxiety
attacks. Flower or flower bud tea is mixed with honey for colds, chest
pain and nerve disorders, and the bark and young fruits, which contain
tannin, are used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. The green bark is
rubbed on wounds to stop bleeding.
Services
Intercropping:
Being a small and early-bearing tree, A. muricata may be planted as an
intercrop between larger fruit trees such as mango, avocado and santol.
The A. muricata trees are grubbed out when the main crop requires space.
Tree Management
The
area around the base of the tree should be kept free from weeds or
covered with mulch to avoid dehydration of the shallow roots during the
dry season. Annona muricata can tolerate dry soil conditions, but the
trees shed too many leaves if they experience prolonged drought, and in
that situation they would benefit from supplementary irrigation.
Moderate application of fertilizer and manure increases fruit
production and is necessary during the early stages of growth so as to
augment the slow growth rate. Trees usually assume a satisfactory form,
but in some cases it is necessary to limit the tree to a single trunk
by cutting out competing twigs as early as possible.
Germplasm Management
Seed
storage behaviour is orthodox, and the seeds tolerate desiccation to
5%. Long-term storage under ideal conditions is possible.
Pests and Diseases
Insect pests include Bephata maculicollis, Ceconata annonella, Talponia backeri, Thecla ortygnus, scale insects and Mediterranean fruit fly. The trunk borer Cratasomus
spp. is a serious pest, as are many fruit borers in the orders
Coleoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera. Mousebirds also attack the tree.
In the Caribbean region A. muricata is attacked heavily by the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and, in the Manaus, Brazil, region by Pellicularia spp.
Further Reading
Anon. 1986. The useful plants of India. Publications & Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, India.
Bein E. 1996. Useful trees and shrubs in Eritrea. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Nairobi, Kenya.
Bekele-Tesemma
A, Birnie A, Tengnas B. 1993. Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia.
Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International
Development Authority (SIDA).
Clarke WC, Thaman RR. 1993. Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for Sustainability. United Nations University Press.
FAO.
1983. Food and fruit bearing forest species. 3: Examples from Latin
America. FAO Forestry Paper. 44/3. Rome. Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis
RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a compendium. Handbooks for
Genebanks: No. 4. IPGRI.
Katende AB et al. 1995. Useful trees and
shrubs for Uganda. Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit
(RSCU), Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Mbuya LP
et al. 1994. Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania: Identification,
Propagation and Management for Agricultural and Pastoral Communities.
Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International
Development Authority (SIDA).
Perry LM. 1980. Medicinal plants of East and South East Asia : attributed properties and uses. MIT Press. South East Asia.
Popenoe W. 1974. Manual of the tropical and subtropical fruits. The Macmillann Company.
Raynor B. 1991. Agroforestry systems in Pohnpei. Practices and strategies for development. Forestry Development Programme.
Rice RP, Rice LW, Tindall HD. 1987. Fruit and vegetable production in warm climates. Macmillan Press, London.
Timyan J. 1996. Bwa Yo: important trees of Haiti. South-East Consortium for International Development. Washington D.C.
Verheij
EWM, Coronel RE (eds.). 1991. Plant Resources of South East Asia No 2.
Edible fruits and nuts. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Williams R.O & OBE. 1949. The useful and ornamental plants in Zanzibar and Pemba. Zanzibar Protectorate.
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