Custard Apple (Annona squamosa): Sweet and pulpy. Scrumptious fruits. 10 seeds

Custard Apple (Annona squamosa)

Scrumptious fruit. Absolutely gorgeous tropical plant.

Custard apple tree, or Annona squamosa, is a deciduous fruit tree in the Annona family and is native to the West Indies and was brought to Central America and southern Mexico. The fruit is popular for its sweet and slightly tangy, creamy textured fruit.

Small and fast growing tree 3 to 8 metres in height. Can be pruned.

Fruit is medicinal and sweet tasting. 

It is sub tropical but could be grown down south of Uk or in greenhouses.  It can be pruned small enough for patio plant in summer going into greenhouse for winter.

t is found growing in a tropical or sub-tropical climate with summer temperatures and tolerates a wide variety of soils. It has performed well on sand, oolitic limestone, heavy loam with good drainage and in rich, well-drained, deep rocky soils. But it prefers friable, sandy loams.

The attractive leaves are single and alternate, 2 to 8 inches long and up to 4 inches wide. They are dark green on top and velvety green on the bottom, with prominent veins. 

Flowers

Fragrant flowers are borne solitary or in groups of 2 or 3 on short, hairy stalks along the branches. 

 The fruit size is generally proportional to the number of seeds within. They ripen from October to May.

History

Custard apple is said to have originated from West Indies, but the fruit was carried through Central America to southern Mexico. For a long time, the custard apple was grown and naturalized in countries like Peru and Brazil. Proof suggests that these fruits have been grown in the Bahamas, Bermuda and southern Florida. This fruit rapidly spread across tropical Africa around the 17th century and was grown in South Africa as a dooryard fruit tree. In India, the custard apple was prevalent in parts of Kolkata. Eventually, it gained popularity on the east coast of Malaya, south-east Asia and the Philippines. 80 years ago, custard apples were found in abundance in Guam, a region off the western Pacific Ocean.

 Seeds come with instructions.