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Annona reticulata
Annonaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Annona reticulata

Annona reticulata

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The hard seeds are very toxic, but can be swallowed whole with no ill effects[1]. All non-fruit parts of the plant are quite toxic[1]. Sap from the cut branches is acrid and irritant and can severely injure the eyes[2]. The bark contains 0.12% anonaine, and injection of an extract from the bark reportedly caused paralysis in a rear limb of an experimental toad[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitSemi-deciduous Tree
Growth—

Annona reticulata needs a tropical climate for good growth, but it can survive in subtropical conditions[1]. It is less drought-tolerant than the sugar apple and prefers a humid atmosphere[1]. It succeeds from sea level to an elevation of 1,500 metres[3]. Plants can tolerate short-lived light frost[4, 2]. Prefers a moist, sandy loam with a pH around 6[5]. The custard apple does best in low-lying, deep, rich soil with ample moisture and good drainage[3]. It grows to full size on oolithic limestone, and grows wild in light sand and various other types of soils[3]. It is not drought tolerant[3]. Often cultivated for its edible fruit, the plant has escaped from cultivation in many areas and is commonly listed as an invasive species[2]. Trees come into bearing in 4 - 5 years from seed[4]. The tree is naturally a fairly heavy bearer. With adequate care, a mature tree will produce 34-45 kg of fruits/year[3]. In Thailand it has been grown as a mixed home garden plants along with big trees like mango, ma-praang, coconut etc[1]. It may also be useful as a genetic resource for hybridization work on Annona species[1]. The flowers are pleasantly aromatic, but the leaves are ill-smelling[3, 2].

Propagation

Seed - usually breeds true to type[5]. Sow in individual pots, not deeper than 2cm, at 21c[5]. The germination rate ranges from low to medium[3]. 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[PFAF]. Semi-ripe cuttings[5]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Annona+reticulata>

Pollinators

Beetles, Insects

References

  1. [1]Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand. RAP — Suranant Subhadrabandhu · F. A. O., The United Nations, Bangkok. · 2001 · http://www.fao.org/3/a-ab777e.pdf ↩︎A detailed report on 35 fruit species that could have potential for increased production in Thailand. The report can be downloadd as a PDF from the internet.
  2. [2]Invasive Species Compendium — http://www.cabi.org ↩︎An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
  3. [3]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  4. [4]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  7. [7]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  8. [8]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  9. [9]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  10. [10]Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador — de la Torre, L., Navarrete H., P. Muriel M., Macía M.J. & Ba · Herbario QCA de la Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas de la Pontific · 2008 · ISBN 978-9978-77-135-8 ↩︎
  11. [11]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
  12. [12]Useful Fiber Plants of the World — Dodge C.R. · USDA; Washington. · 1897 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
  13. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎