Common Name: Ppinha de Caatinga

General Information

Annona vepretorum is a small, evergreen tree growing 3 - 10 metres tall. The bole can be 30 - 40cm in diameter, often branching from low down[].
The plant is often gathered from the wild for its delicious fruit and is also used locally as a medicine. The plant is sometimes cultivated for its fruit[], and has great commercial potential[].
Annona vepretorum has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northeastern Brazil.

Habitat

Found in the dry forests of northeastern Brazil, growing in well-drained soils in areas of denser tree growth[],

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the 'Caatinga' dry forest region of northeast Brazil. The climate is hot and dry, there are usually 6 to 11 months without rain each year. The mean annual rainfall varies from 250 - 1,000mm, and the mean annual temperature is from 24 - 26°c.
Prefers a sunny position[]. Prefers a light, well-drained soil[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Plants are quite slow-growing[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The gelatinous pulp has a pleasant, acid-sweet flavour[].The fruit can be 10cm long, 6cm in diameter and weigh250 - 350g[].

Medicinal

The softened fruits are used to treat snake bites, bee stings, inflammatory conditions and heart pain[].

The leaves are used to treat a number of conditions[].

Other Uses

Heartwood and sapwood are not clearly differentiated. The wood is light in weight, of low resistance to insect attack[]. Easily sawn, it is only used for low value items such as sawn boards and general packing containers[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a very hard outer layer and germinates much more easily if scarified[]. 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. Sow the seeds in individual containers in a lightly shaded position. Germination rates, even of scarified seeds, can be quite low, with the seeds sprouting within 80 - 120 days[].

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