Annona muricata (Anona,
guanábana, soursop, graviola) How to recognize: The tree is often recognized by its fruit -- a heart-shaped fruit (see picture below) that is 15–20 cm in diameter, is yellow-green in color, and has white flesh inside.
Uses: The fruit is edible. Because it is sour, it usually requires some processing, but can be eaten off the tree. In some countries the fruit and juice is consumed to cure a number of health problems. The bark, leaves, and roots can be brewed into teas. Oil of the leaves and unripe fruit is said to be used externally to help with neuralgia, rheumatism, and arthritis pain. The creamy, aromatic pulp is used in ice cream and yogurt and as a juice: it is rich in vitamin B and C.
Sources and Links:
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant_attribute.cgi?symbol=ANMU2
http://www.rain-tree.com/graviola.htm
http://www.hear.org/pier/species/annona_muricata.htm
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/soursop.htm
Scientific Information:
| Division: | Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants) |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons) |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Annonaceae (Custard-apple family) |
| Species: | Annona muricata L. |
| Leaves. Leaves are dark green, leathery, elliptic, rounded but at the tip, rounded or narrowed at the base. |  Photo: Berkeley |
| Flowers. The flowers are green and exhibit cauliflory -- they are attached directly to the trunk or branches. The sepals are quite thick, valvate; outer petals are mottled, heart-shaped at base. |  Photo: CIRAD |
| Fruit and Seeds. Fruit oblong or somewhat curved (mango-shaped), sometimes as much as 30 cm long, the surface beset with regularly well-spaced short slightly curved spines, of moderately firm texture, green; flesh juicy, acid, whitish; seeds abundant. A typical soursop contains anywhere from 30 to 200 black-brown seeds, each about 1/2" long and 1/4" wide and enclosed in a separate 'pocket' of flesh |  Photo: Berkeley |
| Trunk. The trunk is relatively smooth and straight below the branches. The bark is dark brown. |
 Photo: K. Yamasaki |
| Saplings. |
| Other. |