atoll research bulletin no. 392 the flora of - Smithsonian Institution ...

Spondias mombin L.
syn. S. lutea L.
"hog plum"
Extinct? Trop. Asia. Reported present by Burges. Possibly a doubtful iden-
tification. 2.
Annona muricata L.
dawatsip (N)
ANNONNACEAE (Custard Apple Family)
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Small tree, rarely over
8 m tall; leaves, about 10 to 16 cm long and 4 to 7 cm wide, bright green, alternate,
entire, oblong or oblong-elliptic, acute or acuminate, glabrous, somewhat glossy above,
pungent; petioles short; flowers, 2 to 3 cm or more long, yellowish-green, solitary or in
pairs, with 3 thick, broadly deltoid or heart-shaped light yellow sepals and 6 cordate
outer petals, borne on the branches and trunk (cauliflorous); fruit, up to 25 cm or longer
and weighing 0.5 to 2 kg, fleshy, oblong or ovoid, irregularly heart- or kidney-shaped,
with green to yellowish-green skin, covered regularly spaces, short, slightly curved fleshy
spines, and white, juicy, somewhat acid, aromatic, cotton-like, edible pulp; seeds, about
2 cm long, numerous, black, embedded in pulp. Planted in home gardens by Nauruans
and others and spontaneous on coastal strip, in some areas of escarpment forest, and in
the Buada Lagoon area. Ripe fruit eaten raw, often with ice cream. Common recently
introduced fruit tree throughout the Pacific. 2, 3(58586), 5, 6, 7.
Annona reticulata L. "custard apple", "bullock's heart"
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Small to medium tree,
rarely over 9 m tall; leaves, up to 20 cm long and 6 cm wide or more, light green,
smooth, alternate, elliptic- or oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, pinnately nerved,
brittle; petioles about 12 mm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm long, greenish, axillary, in
groups of 2 or 3 on lateral peduncles; fruit, 7 to 13 cm in diameter, yellowish- to
greenish-red, ovoid or heart-shaped, with whitish pulp, surface divided by impressed
lines into rhomboidal or hexagonal sections; seeds, numerous, glossy brown, embedded
in pulp. Planted fruit tree; found growing, possibly spontaneously, behind settlement on
Military Ridge. 2, 5(146), 6, 7.