Annonaceae
How to identify a custard apple tree
Annona reticulata · also called bullock's heart, anona (Spanish)
A smooth, heart-shaped, reddish-brown fruit with sweet, grainy flesh. Generally considered milder and less prized than cherimoya or sugar apple, but tougher and more widely adaptable.
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 custard apple 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
- Tropical Americas
- USDA zones
- 10-11
- Climate
- Tropical — notably tougher and more heat/humidity tolerant than cherimoya, and more cold-tolerant than most other Annona species besides cherimoya.
- Fruiting season
- Season not documented; check local sources
- How often grown
- Uncommon in cultivation
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 3-5 yrs
- Propagation
- Seed, grafting.
Relatives in the Annonaceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
- CherimoyaAnnona cherimola
- AtemoyaAnnona × atemoya
- SoursopAnnona muricata
- Sugar appleAnnona squamosa
- BiribaAnnona mucosa
Map your custard apple 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