Common Name: Cherimoya

General Information

Annona cherimola is a fast-growing somewhat shrubby, deciduous or evergreen tree with a dense, spreading crown; it can grow up to 8 metres tall. The bole is short[, ].
The fruit of the cherimoya is said to be one of the finest of all tropical fruits[]. Long cultivated for this fruit, it had already been introduced throughout Mesoamerica and to much of South America before Europeans came to the continent[]. It is now widely cultivated in frost-free subtropical and cooler tropical regions throughout the world for its fruit[, ]. There are many named varieties[].

Known Hazards

Blindness can result from the juice of the crushed seeds coming in contact with the eyes[].
The seeds and twigs contain several alkaloids including ( + )-reticuline, (-)-anonaine, liriodenine, and lanuginosine. Human ingestion of 0.15 g of the dark-yellow resin isolated from the seeds produces symptoms resembling the effects of atropine[].

Botanical References

Range

Western S. America - Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	7.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The cherimoya does not grow very well in lowland tropical areas, preferring elevations above 700 metres and growing well as high as 2,400 metres[]. It can also be grown in subtropical and warm temperate basically frost-free areas.
Prefers a moist, sandy loam with a pH around 6[]. It grows well on a wide range of soil types from light to heavy, but seems to do best on a medium soil of moderate fertility[]. It prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.6[]. The tree requires protection from strong winds that interfere with pollination and fruit set[].
This species has often escaped from cultivation and has become widely naturalized in subtropical to tropical climates[].
The cherimoya begins to bear when 3½ - 5 years old and production steadily increases from the 5th to the 10th year, when there should be a yield of 25 fruits/tree (5,000 per ha)[]. In Colombia, the average yield is 25 fruits and in Italy, trees 30-35 years old produce 230-280 fruits annually[].
A problem with the cherimoya is inadequate natural pollination because the male and female structures of each flower do not mature simultaneously. Few insects visit the flowers. Therefore, hand-pollination is highly desirable and must be done in a 6 - 8 hour period when the stigmas are white and sticky. It has been found in Chile that in the first flowers to open the pollen grains are loaded with starch, whereas flowers that open later have more abundant pollen, no starch grains, and the pollen germinates readily. Partly-opened flowers are collected in the afternoons and kept in a paper bag overnight. The next morning the shed pollen is put, together with moist paper, in a vial and transferred by brush to the receptive stigmas. Usually only a few of the flowers on a tree are pollinated each time, the operation being repeated every 4-5 days in order to extend the season of ripening. The closely related A. Senegalensis, if available, is a good source of abundant pollen for pollinating the cherimoya, that of the sugar apple is not satisfactory. Fruits from hand-pollinated flowers are normally superior in form and size[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. A delicious flavour, tasting like a cross between a banana and a pineapple[]. The white flesh of the ripe cherimoya is sweet, juicy and very fragrant. It is most commonly eaten out of-hand or scooped with a spoon from the cut open fruit[]. It can also be used in making ice cream, custard, cakes etc[]. The fruit is up to 20cm x 10cm and has a white pulp[].

Medicinal

Rural people toast, peel and pulverize 1 or 2 seeds and take the powder with water or milk as a potent emetic and cathartic. Mixed with grease, the powder is applied on parasitic skin disorders[].

A decoction of the skin of the fruit is taken to relieve pneumonia[].

Other Uses

The seeds are crushed and used as insecticide[]. Mixed with grease, powdered seeds are used to kill lice[].

Propagation

Seed - usually breeds true to type[]. Sow in individual pots, not deeper than 2cm, at 21c[]. Cherimoya seeds remain viable for 2 - 3 years if kept dry and protected from weevils and fungi. At 20C bottom heat, seeds germinate in about 21 days, but require about 40 days under normal ambient growing conditions[].
The seed of many species in this genus has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].
Semi-ripe cuttings[].
Cuttings of mature wood have rooted in coral sand with bottom heat in 28 days[].

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