Apple custard seeds

Annona Squamosa 10 Seeds, Sugar Custard Apple Sweetsops Fruit Tree Shrub

Here is a popular tree that is widely cultivated for its edible delicious fruit. It is a small, semi-deciduous tree or shrub with broad, spreading branches. It can grow up to 8 m tall. The leaves are thin, simple, with fine hairs underneath, and arranged alternately. The 6-10cm long fruits are sweet and creamy, and consumed as dessert or used as an ingredient in making ice cream, jellies, etc.

Also used medicinally in treating diarrhoea, dysentery, colds, chills, rheumatism, and sleeplessness. It also has an anticancer function and it lowers uric acid levels in the blood. The seeds, when heated, can produce oil that can be used against agricultural pests. However, it should be noted that the seeds, leaves, and roots are poisonous due to occurrence of alkaloid and hydrocyanic acid in such plant parts. *We can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

It is cold and frost sensitive and requires a tropical or near tropical climate. Though it is drought tolerant, it will not produce fruit well during droughts. Not particular to soil and has performed well on sand, oolitic limestone and heavy loam with good drainage. Water logging is intolerable. The tree is shallow rooted and doesn’t need deep soil. USDA zone 10-12

Although somewhat less esteemed than the cherimoya and atemoya, the custard apple is well-liked in many parts of the world. In poor varieties the flesh is usually a bit less flavorful than its well-known relatives, but thankfully better varieties are spreading, having fairly good-flavored flesh. Fruits often have colorful skin with creamy, white or pale yellow flesh.

Seed Availability

Seeds are now available at our seed store.

Description

Small tree to 20-35ft. Leaves can be quite pretty but trees often take on irregular shapes. The tree is popular as a rootstock for other Annona species. Custard apple’s have an advantage over other Annona’s in that they tend to ripen slightly later in the year than their relatives, so during certain times of the year, only custard apple’s are available.

Hardiness

It is tropical, but full -grown trees show hardiness to 26F.

Growing Environment

Grow in full sun. Water regularly.

Propagation

Usually by seeds. There are few named varieties and better strains are propagated by air layering and grafting.

Almost exclusively eaten fresh.

Native Range

Native to the Caribbean region but has spread across Central and South America, as well as Africa and Asia.

Related Species

Annonaceae
Annona cacans Araticum Cagao	Annona cherimola Cherimoya
Annona cherimola x squamosa Atemoya	Annona cornifolia Annona cornifolia
Annona crassiflora Marolo	Annona diversifolia Ilama
Annona glabra Pond Apple	Annona montana Mountain Soursop
Annona muricata Soursop	Annona paludosa Annona paludosa
Annona purpurea Soncoya	Annona reticulata Custard Apple
Annona salzmannii Beach Sugar Apple	Annona scleroderma Poshe-te
Annona senegalensis Wild Custard Apple	Annona sericea Annona sericea
Annona squamosa Sugar Apple	Anonidium mannii Junglesop
Asiminia triloba Pawpaw	Cananga odorata Ylang Ylang
Duguetia lanceolata Pindaiba	Monodora myristica Calabash Nutmeg
Porcelia macrocarpa Monkey Banana	Rollinia deliciosa Biriba
Rollinia sylvatica Aractium do Mato	Stelechocarpus burahol Kepel
Xylopia aromatica Monkey Pepper