Annona mucosa

Biriba (Annona mucosa)
Scientific name	Annona mucosa[1]
Common names	Biriba, biribá, rollinia, wild sweetsop; formerly Rollinia mucosa and R. deliciosa[1][2]
Genus	Annona
Family	Annonaceae
Order	Magnoliales
Native range	Southern Mexico through Central and tropical South America and the Caribbean; cultivated elsewhere[1][2]
Growth form	Fast-growing evergreen tree; about 4 to 20 m in natural or semi-wild settings; commonly pruned to 4 to 8 m in cultivation[2][3]
Climate and hardiness	Warm, humid lowland tropics; frost-sensitive and vulnerable to chilling injury[2][3]
Soil	Fertile, moist, well-drained soil; about pH 5 to 7 is reported for cultivation; avoid prolonged waterlogging[2]
Propagation	Fresh seed; grafting for selected fruit; cuttings and air-layering are unreliable[2][3]
Years to fruit	About 3 to 4 years after planting in a reported production account; variable with seedling or grafted origin, climate, and management[2][3]
Pollination	Protogynous flowers; beetles and other insects are reported pollinators; hand pollination can improve fruit set[2]
Fruit and harvest	Yellow, soft, aromatic aggregate fruit; commonly matures during the warm season and has a short postharvest life[2]

Annona mucosa Jacq., the biriba or rollinia, is a fast-growing tropical tree cultivated for large yellow aggregate fruits with soft, aromatic, custard-like pulp. The accepted name is Annona mucosa; Rollinia mucosa and Rollinia deliciosa are older names retained in horticultural and media sources.[1][2]

Description

Leaves of Rollinia deliciosa (synonym of Annona mucosa) at Pali o Waipio, Maui. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 US, via Wikimedia Commons.

The tree is evergreen, upright, and fast-growing, with a dense crown when allowed to develop freely. Useful Tropical Plants describes trees commonly around 10 to 20 m tall, occasionally reaching 25 m, while the UF/IFAS cultivation account reports about 4 to 20 m in natural or semi-wild settings and recommends pruning cultivated trees to about 4 to 8 m for harvesting and canopy management.[2][3]

Leaves are alternate, thin, dark green above, paler beneath, and commonly 10 to 25 cm long. The lower surface may have fine hairs, especially along the veins. Flowers are solitary or in small groups, bisexual, and protogynous: the female phase precedes pollen release. During the female phase, flowers may have a sweet, yeasty odor.[2]

The fruit is a syncarpous aggregate of many fused carpels. The skin turns yellow at maturity and may be smooth or covered with soft pointed protuberances. Fruit shape ranges from spherical to cordiform or irregular. The white pulp is soft, sweet, aromatic, and custard-like, with commonly 20 to 50 seeds distributed through the flesh. UF/IFAS reports a broad fruit-weight range of about 200 g to 1.65 kg, with larger fruit recorded in some accounts.[2]^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Cultivated Rollinia deliciosa habit at the Garden of Eden, Keanae, Maui. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 US, via Wikimedia Commons.

Plants of the World Online lists Annona mucosa as native from Mexico and Central America through tropical South America and the Caribbean, including much of Brazil, and records introductions elsewhere.[1] The species is associated with humid lowland forest, forest margins, secondary growth, and disturbed sites. Useful Tropical Plants describes lowland humid limestone forest from sea level to about 600 m, while UF/IFAS gives a broader cultivated and natural range reaching approximately 1,000 m.[2][3]

Cultivation

Soil

Biriba grows best in fertile, loamy, moist soil with good drainage. UF/IFAS reports an acidic-to-neutral cultivation range around pH 5 to 7 and warns that calcareous, high-pH soils can produce iron and other nutrient deficiencies. The species can tolerate short periods of saturation associated with heavy rain, but prolonged flooding or permanently waterlogged soil is unsuitable. On a site that remains wet for more than two or three days, a raised mound can improve drainage.[2]

Maintain even moisture during warm growth, flowering, and fruit development. Mulch can conserve moisture and add organic matter, but it should be kept away from the trunk. Saline irrigation water and saline soil can cause leaf injury and defoliation.[2]

Sun and humidity

The species is adapted to warm, humid lowland conditions. Established trees can be grown in full sun or partial shade, while seedlings benefit from shade or indirect light until they reach about 60 to 90 cm. High humidity supports flowering and fruit set, but dense, stagnant canopies increase disease risk. Choose a sheltered site because the soft wood is vulnerable to wind damage and fruit can be scarred when it rubs against branches.[2][3]

Seasonal changes

In native and cultivated humid-tropical settings, growth occurs in intermittent flushes and the main crop is associated with the warm, wet part of the year. Under south Florida conditions, flowering may occur from April through July and fruiting from June through November, but those dates are regional rather than a universal calendar. Prolonged drought during hot weather can cause partial defoliation and reduce flowering and fruit set, so irrigate during extended dry periods. Cool weather can cause leaf drop, slower growth, reduced fruiting, and poorer fruit quality; brief cool exposure without tree death does not make the species frost-hardy.[2][3]

Propagation

Biriba is propagated mainly from fresh seed. Remove the seeds from ripe fruit, wash away adhering pulp, and sow them in a well-drained medium at about 25 to 30 °C. UF/IFAS reports germination commonly within three to five weeks and notes that viability declines during storage, although seeds may remain viable for one to two years under suitable conditions.[2]

Seedlings vary in growth, fruit size, surface texture, and maturity. Grafting selected scions onto rollinia, guanabana, or Annona glabra seedling rootstocks can preserve desirable fruit and may help manage tree size. UF/IFAS reports that sugar apple is not a compatible rootstock for rollinia; cuttings and air-layering are considered unreliable.[2]

The reported 3 to 4 years to first fruit is a production observation, not a dependable interval for every seedling, graft, cultivar-like selection, or climate.[2][3]

Flowering, fruiting, and harvest

Flowers are protogynous, and synchronous flowering phases within a tree can limit pollen transfer. Small beetles, including nitidulid beetles, and other insects are considered likely pollinators. Hand pollination during the female phase can improve fruit set, especially where effective insect visitation is limited. High humidity during flowering is also associated with better stigma longevity and fruit set.[2]

A main crop commonly develops during the warm season, although flowering and fruiting can extend over several months. UF/IFAS reports about 16 to 24 weeks from flowering to maturity in one account and three to five months in its cultivation discussion. The peel is yellow when horticulturally mature. Fruit bruise easily, soften rapidly, and are best harvested and handled close to the intended place of consumption. At room temperature, full ripeness may occur within three to six days, followed by rapid softening; cool storage around 12 to 15 °C may extend the usable period to about 7 to 10 days under the cited guidance.[2]

Fruit and uses

Ripe biriba is usually eaten fresh. The soft pulp is also used in juices, nectars, smoothies, frozen desserts, and other local preparations. UF/IFAS reports average soluble solids of about 15.6 °Brix and a pulp pH near 4.95 in the cited summaries, but fruit quality varies among trees and local selections.[2][4]

UF/IFAS reports no formally recognized cultivars at present. Growers distinguish smoother fruit from strongly spiculate fruit, with the more spiculate forms often larger; these are selection and domestication patterns rather than separate taxa. Do not treat a nursery label or a fruit-surface category as a documented cultivar name.[2][4]

Pests and diseases

Rollinia generally has low pest pressure under good cultural conditions, but moth larvae, wood-boring beetles, whiteflies, mealybugs, and aphids have been reported in some growing regions. Cercospora leaf spot, stem dieback, and fruit rot may occur where warm humid conditions combine with dense canopies and poor airflow. Inspect new growth, prune for light and ventilation, remove diseased material, and avoid prolonged wetness rather than assuming that any one regional pest list applies everywhere.[2][3]

Photos

The summary fruit, leaf, and cultivated-habit images above show distinct subjects. File-level creators, licenses, and source pages are listed below.

Commentary

Growers are invited to compare biriba across warm, humid sites and protected subtropical trials. Useful observations include provenance, seedling or grafted origin, rootstock, plant age, flowering dates, hand-pollination practice, fruit surface and size, and the interval from harvest to softening. Share what worked on the discussion page.

References

• ↑ [1] Plants of the World Online: Annona mucosa, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, accessed 24 August 2026.

• ↑ [2] Rollinia (Annona mucosa) Fruit Trees: Botany and Commercial Cultivation in South Florida, UF/IFAS Extension, accessed 24 August 2026.

• ↑ [3] Useful Tropical Plants: Annona mucosa, accessed 24 August 2026.

• ↑ [4] Serbin et al. 2023, “Relationship Between Fruit Phenotypes and Domestication in Hexaploid Populations of Biribá (Annona mucosa) in Brazilian Amazonia, PeerJ 11: e14659.

Image credits

• Summary fruit: 申義徳博士, CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Leaves: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 US.
• Cultivated habit: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 US.