Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

posed of the numerolls united pistils eacli endin
111 n fleshy spine or short bnse of a spine '/la inc f 1
ANNONA FAMILY (ANNONACEAE)
37. Guanibana, soursop
Annona muricata L.*
G~lnnribans or soursop, u cnltirated and wild
,
or liiore in length, ~vhicli grows from tlie style.
fruit tree, is best kno\vn by its edible green fleshy I . lie juicy, slightly sour, creani white, edible pulp
fruits 6-8 inches 1011 nricl nbont 4 inches broad, cont:iius uitlng shiny black or i row oblong seeds
elliptic or egg-sliapec f , with mnny curred flesli l,5-96 ilicl~ long, eacli developing from a pistil.
s ines. Other distniguisliing clinl:acters are : ( 1
R
7 ITlo\vering commo~ily from J~ilie to October, the
t e oblong or obovnte lenves broadest beyoncl fn~it ripening ~nni~ily in the fall.
~~~iddle, short-pointed at both ends, slightly thick- 'I'llc s:il)wood is ~~hitisli, nncl the I~eiirt\rood is
ened and curved up on both sicles of midrib, shiny I)ro\vn. The wood is soft, liglit~veiglit (specific
green above and paler beneath, wit11 n strong scent gniuity O.4), and not duriible. The wood, little
\\.lien cruslied and nlteninte in 2 rows; (2) minute r~sed in Puerto Rico, lins sei~ed else\vliere for ox
round pockets on tlie lotver lenf surface where the yokes.
side veins join tlie midrib; and (3) the l:wge, Vnluable for tlie fruits, \vhich :Ire eaten fresh
fleshy, pale jello\v or salfur-coloi~d flowers nearly it~ltl osed ill making drinks, ice cream, and pre-
1% mclies long :lnd broad, &angled from the 3 serves. Inlniilture fruits have been cooked ns regelieart-shaped
concave outer petals, borne singly. t:il)les. Ile:ives, flon-ers, fruits, and seeds hare been
-1 snin11 evergreen tree nttaining 20 feet in e~~iployed else\\-here in medicines. ,111 insecticide
Iieiplit iincl 6 inrlles in trunk diameter. The bark for lice lins hen made from the leaves. Easily
is brow11 and smoothish, the pinkish inner bar! ~)ro~>i~g;ttetl from seeds tind rapidly gro\\-ing.
tnsteless. Twigs :Ire bro~vn or my, bearing ml- Plstited for tlie fruits and wild or naturalized
sate ~aised dots (lenticels). 'he short petioles in thickets, pastures, and tilong roads throughout
lire l/s-.5/8 inch lonrr and lenf blades 2W-6 inches Puerto Rico bnt commonest on the coast and the
long itlid 1-3 inc& bland, the edges \vitliout lower southern slopes of tlie Cordillern. Also in
t cetl~, and hairless or netirly so.
Yieques, St. Croix, St. Thonins, St. John, Tortoln,
Flo~vers are terminal or lateral, on stout green t~nd Virgin Gorda.
stalks inch long, and hare n strong pungent R.~xo~.-J\~idely planted nnd naturalized in
odor. There are 3 minute nnd inconspicuo~~s
t
hrond green sepals l/s inch long; 3 pale yellow
ropicnl ~~gions of America and in n-estern Africa.
outer petals lieart-slinpecl, ointed, concnre, nenrly 'I'he lilti ire region perhaps is West Indies though
2 inches lon~ ancl I/s inch t \ ick, fitting together at not definitely known. Througliout West Indies
ed es in bu$and rough 011 outside, 3 smaller, pale cscept Biiliamas and from Aiexico to Brnzil. Comye
F low, rounded, concave, inner petals nearly 11,L 11io11 :it Key \Vest but infrequent on mninland of
inches long rind less thick; nnd 11 hemispherical sout lieni Florida.
axis bearing very ninny cro~vded stamens %a inch OTIIER COBfMON ~~~f~s.-gllnli6ban1~ (Spanish) :
long rind Iiilnierons compnctetl nnrrow ~~liite pistils gnanabn (Guatemala, El Salvador) ; cntoche,
:!/1,\ i~icli long wit11 sticky stigmns.
rnt~rclie (Venezuela) ; soursop (English) ; corossol
The Iaree, nronintic, fleshy fruits (nggrepte (I-Initi, French West Indies) ; corossolier (French
fruits) we~gliing as m11c11 11s .2-5 pounds are com- Ouinnn) ; sorsnka, zuurzak soursap (Dutch West
Tntlies) ; zuurzak, (Surintlni) ; grnviciln, guana-
I):tno, corn~Io de rninha (Brazil) .