Annona squamosa

Sweetsop or sugar apple

Family Annonaceae

Annona squamosa, sweetsop or sugar apple (A. squamosa 1), is a small tree with alternate simple leaves and fleshy yellowish-green flowers in small clusters. It is a native of the West Indies and South America and is now widely grown throughout the tropics. The greenish fruits (A. squamosa 2) are heart-shaped, up to 10 cm long, and are covered with rounded fleshy tubercles. The surface of the fruit has a whitish bloom. The white pulp is granular in texture and has a custard-like aroma.

Use
The sweetsop is particular popular in the West Indies where it is considered to be the real ‘custard apple’. It is used as a dessert fruit. The leaves are used medicinally to cure leprosy, fever, ulcers and intestinal problems.
See also soursop (Annona muricata), cherimoya (Annona cherimolia), and bullock’ s heart (Annona reticulata).