Annonaceae
How to identify a cherimoya tree
Annona cherimola · also called chirimoya (Spanish)
Green, scaly-to-reticulated skin over creamy white flesh — Mark Twain reportedly called it 'the most delicious fruit known to man.' One of the few Annona species that genuinely prefers cool subtropical climates.
Field marks
These features are typical of the genus Annona, so they help confirm you are looking at the right group; the fruit and the details below separate the species.
- Leaves are simple and arranged alternately in two flat rows along the twig.
- Flowers usually have thick, fleshy, roughly triangular petals.
- The fruit is an aggregate of many fused segments: knobby in sugar apple, green with soft curved spines in soursop.
Check a photo
Photograph one whole, mature leaf from above, or a flower or fruit, and the identifier will return ranked matches. If cherimoya is the top result, the field marks above are your second opinion.
Leaves, flowers, fruit, or bark — closer and sharper identifies better. Your photo is identified and discarded, never stored.
Where and when you will find it
- Origin / cultivation history
- Andean highland valleys (Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Chile)
- USDA zones
- 9b-11
- Climate
- Subtropical highland — unusually among Annona species, prefers cooler nights and mild winters over lowland tropical heat; tolerates light frost once established.
- Fruiting season
- October, November, December and January (typical, Northern Hemisphere)
- How often grown
- Uncommon in cultivation
Fruit is the most reliable way to confirm an identification, so October, November, December and January is the easiest window. Outside it, rely on the leaves and the overall habit. A tree growing well outside the climate above is more likely to be a look-alike.
Growing it: seedling or grafted?
A young tree with no fruit is harder to identify and easy to mislabel, so it helps to know how long it takes to reach fruiting age and how it is usually propagated.
- Years to first fruit
- Seedling 4-6 yrs; grafted 2-3 yrs
- Propagation
- Grafting; hand pollination is common in cultivation because natural pollinator activity is poor outside its native beetle-pollinator range.
Relatives in the Annonaceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
- AtemoyaAnnona × atemoya
- SoursopAnnona muricata
- Sugar appleAnnona squamosa
- Custard appleAnnona reticulata
- BiribaAnnona mucosa
Map your cherimoya trees
CanopyTwin keeps every tree on a map with its species, cultivar, photos and history, and counts flowers and fruit from survey photos. It is built for orchards, nurseries and collectors of tropical and rare fruit.
More identification guides: free plant identifier · tropical fruit tree identifier · fruit tree identifier · all species guides