Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Annona muricata L. (ANNONACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Soursop, Buah Belanda

Description

Small evergreen tree 3-10 m tall. Leaves 8-16 cm long, oblong-obovate. Flowers c. 3 cm long on main trunk and branches, pale green, solitary. Fruits 15-25 cm long, irregularly ellipsoid or ovoid, covered with soft prickles, dark green when ripe.

Ecology

Coastal limestone and lowland woodland.

Distribution

Caribbean and C America.

Uses

Widely cultivated throughout the tropics for its edible fruit. It was one of the first fruits carried from the Americas to the Old World tropics. Fruit is eaten raw or cooked, it is also often juiced. The leaves are known to have medicinal properties.