Annona cherimola

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola)
Scientific name	Annona cherimola Mill.
Common names	Cherimoya, cherimoyer, chirimoya
Genus	Annona
Family	Annonaceae
Order	Magnoliales
Native range	Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; cultivated elsewhere[1]
Fruit type	Aggregate fruit formed from fused carpels[2]
Growth form	Low-branched, briefly deciduous or semi-deciduous tree
Climate and hardiness	Mild subtropical or highland tropical; light frost tolerance, but not a lowland-tropical species[2]
Mature height	Commonly 5 to 9 m[2]
Soil	Medium, well-drained soil; reported optimum pH 6.5 to 7.6, with a broader pH 5 to 8 range in one extension account[2][3]
Propagation	Seed; budding or grafting for named selections; cuttings are possible but less reliable[2][4]
Germination	About 3 to 5 weeks in the cited nursery account[2]
Years to fruit	About 3.5 to 5 years in a Purdue account; timing varies with propagation, cultivar, and site[2]
Pollination	Protogynous flowers; hand pollination is often needed for reliable set[3][5]
Harvest	Usually picked full-grown and firm; ripening follows over several months after pollination[2][3]

Annona cherimola Mill., the cherimoya, is a low-branched Andean fruit tree grown for its fragrant flowers and soft, sweet aggregate fruit. Its natural highland climate, semi-deciduous growth, and unusual flower timing distinguish it from the more heat-tolerant sugar apple and from the cherimoya–sugar apple hybrid atemoya.^[1][2]

Description

Annona cherimola leaf. Photo by Willow Coville, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The tree is erect but often low-branched, somewhat shrubby, or spreading, with rusty-hairy young branchlets. The leaves are alternate and briefly deciduous in some production climates, and the fragrant flowers occur singly or in groups of two or three. Purdue's botanical account describes a compound fruit generally 10 to 20 cm long and 150 to 500 g, although much larger fruit has been reported. The skin may be smooth, fingerprinted, or covered with rounded or conical protuberances.^[2]

The ripe flesh is white, soft, fragrant, and subacid. Fruit texture and skin pattern vary among named selections. The common name should not be used to transfer cultivation data from sugar apple (Annona squamosa), atemoya, or other related taxa.

Distribution and habitat

Wild cherimoya plants in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, an area of natural occurrence. Photo by Marcelo RosaMelo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Plants of the World Online currently lists Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru as the native range of Annona cherimola.^[1] The species is associated with inter-Andean valleys and other highland sites rather than hot, wet lowlands. A classic horticultural account describes natural production in Colombia and Ecuador at about 1,400 to 2,000 m, with temperatures around 17 to 20 °C, and notes that the tree performs best with a relatively dry season.^[2]

Cultivation

Soil and water

Good drainage is the critical soil requirement. Purdue reports performance from light to heavy soils but best growth in a medium soil of moderate fertility, with an optimum pH of 6.5 to 7.6; the same account warns of root rot in clay or poorly drained wet soil.^[2] A University of California extension account gives sandy loam or decomposed granite as preferred examples, while allowing a broader pH range of 5 to 8.^[3] These figures describe different regional recommendations, not a single proven limit for every rootstock.

Water regularly while young and actively growing, but avoid keeping the root zone saturated. In the dry-season production system described by Purdue, young trees receive irrigation during establishment and are allowed a winter dormant interval; bearing trees are not watered once the fruit is full-grown.^[2]

Sun and humidity

Cherimoya needs bright exposure and long days, but its native highland climate is cooler than a hot lowland tropical climate. Protect the tree from strong winds, which interfere with pollination and fruit set, and from hot drying conditions during bloom. The Ventura County extension account notes that prolonged high humidity is unfavorable in its California comparison, so warm humid sites require especially careful airflow and drainage.^[2][3]

Seasonal changes

Flowering follows a vegetative flush and is tied to the seasonal pattern of the growing site. In the California production account, leaves drop in late spring or early summer and flowering follows; the flower season differs in India, New Zealand, and southern California.^[3][5] Manage irrigation around the local dry or cool interval rather than treating cherimoya as a continuously growing lowland tree. Protect young trees from frost; light frost may be tolerated by established plants, but colder events can injure or kill them.^[2]

Propagation

Seedlings are commonly used as rootstocks, but seedling fruit quality is variable and named selections are normally budded or grafted. Purdue reports germination in about 3 to 5 weeks and grafting or budding when rootstocks are 12 to 24 months old. Seeds remain viable for several years when kept dry. Mature-wood cuttings have rooted in coral sand with bottom heat in 28 days in the cited account, but the Ventura County extension page describes rooting from cuttings as difficult.^[2][3]

The often-cited 3.5 to 5 years to bearing is a reported production interval, not a guarantee for every seedling, graft, cultivar, or climate.^[2]

Flowering, fruiting, and harvest

Cherimoya flower buds. Photo by Marcelo RosaMelo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cherimoya flowers are protogynous: the stigmas become receptive before the anthers release usable pollen. This timing, together with the flower's structure and limited natural visitation, makes hand pollination important in many orchards. The University of California Cherimoya Handbook describes pollen collection from partly opened flowers in the afternoon and transfer to receptive flowers during the following morning's female phase.^[5] Flowering dates vary with cultivar, latitude, temperature, and the wet or dry seasonal pattern.

Fruit commonly takes about 5 to 8 months to ripen after pollination in the Ventura County account. Harvest fruit full-grown and still firm; skin color changes from dark green toward lighter green or greenish tan as maturity advances. The fruit is climacteric and continues to soften after picking. The UC ANR postharvest chapter reports room-temperature ripening in about 6 to 7 days and emphasizes careful handling because bruising and browning develop quickly.^[2][3][6]

Fruit and uses

Cherimoya fruit cultivated in Pedra Bela, São Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Marcelo RosaMelo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ripe cherimoya flesh is usually eaten fresh with a spoon. It is also used in sherbet, ice cream, fruit salads, and beverages. The many hard, glossy seeds should be removed and discarded. Extension and tropical-plant references report poisonous alkaloids in the seeds and other plant parts; this article does not treat the seeds, leaves, or twigs as food.^[2][3][4]

Pests and diseases

Reported problems include mealybugs, fruit flies, seed borers, scale insects, caterpillars, root rot in wet or clay soils, Armillaria, Verticillium wilt, and sooty mold associated with honeydew-producing insects. The problems differ by region; drainage, airflow, and careful monitoring are more transferable recommendations than a universal pest list.^[2][3]

Photos

The summary fruit, leaf, wild-habitat, flower-bud, and cultivated-fruit images above show different subjects and locations; the file-level credits are listed below.

Commentary

Growers are invited to compare cherimoya performance across highland, coastal, and protected subtropical sites. Useful observations include location and seasonal pattern, provenance or cultivar, rootstock, propagation method, plant age, hand-pollination practice, flowering dates, and the time from pollination to harvest. Share what worked on the discussion page.

References

1. ↑ Plants of the World Online: Annona cherimola Mill., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
2. ↑ Morton, J. 1987. Cherimoya, Fruits of Warm Climates. Purdue NewCROP.
3. ↑ Cherimoya, University of California Cooperative Extension Ventura County.
4. ↑ Useful Tropical Plants: Annona cherimola.
5. ↑ Kahn, T. L. Pollination: Theory & Practice, CCA Cherimoya Handbook, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
6. ↑ Arpaia, M. L. Maintaining Postharvest Quality of Cherimoya, CCA Cherimoya Handbook, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Image credits

• Summary fruit: Hannes Grobe, CC BY-SA 2.5.
• Leaf: Willow Coville, CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Wild habitat: Marcelo RosaMelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Flower buds: Marcelo RosaMelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Cultivated fruit: Marcelo RosaMelo, CC0 1.0.