Annona purpurea - Soncoya
Family:
Native to:
Habitat:
Annonaceae.
Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and parts of South America.
Found in hot and humid climates. 300-800 meters above sea level (1200 masl). 8 meter tall tree.
Ecological value:
Pollinated by Dynastic scarab beetles which are generalists in the genus Annona. Other beetle pollinators include Nitidulidae or Staphylinidae.
Material uses:
Oil can be extracted from seed. Can be used as an insecticide Annona species are primarily cultivated for their fruit.
Edible uses:
Pulp is eaten raw or strained for juice. Pulp is similar in color, aroma, and taste to mango. Fruit considered of mediocre quality and have been recommended for improvement through breeding.
Medicinal use:
Remedy for fever and chills, relieves Jaundice. Bark is given as a tea and is effective against Dysentery.
Other details:
Closely related to Cherimoya. Genus comprised of around 166 species in the global tropics. Seven species are cultivated for food or commercial purposes. Annona purpurea fruit are characterized by their spiky appearance.
Research:
Peaches Harrison/Christine Facella
Sources:
“Annona Purpurea Moc. & Sessé Ex Dunal | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” n.d. Plants of the World Online. Accessed November 29, 2023. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:72289-1/general-information.
“Annona Purpurea - Useful Tropical Plants.” n.d. Tropical.theferns.info. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Annona+purpurea.
Huxley. A., ‘The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992’, MacMillan Press, 1992
Gottsberger, Gerhard. 1989. “Comments on Flower Evolution and Beetle Pollination in the GeneraAnnona AndRollinia (Annonaceae).” Plant Systematics and Evolution 167 (3-4): 189–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00936405.
Image source: Rovin Laudin Alba Torres