Rollinia
Rollinia mucosa
Family: Annonaceae
What it is like
A medium sized evergreen tree. It grows 4-15 m high. The leaves are simple and rich green. They are oblong and 28 cm long. They are softly hairy underneath. The flowers are yellow-green and 2.5 cm across. They have 3 thick petals which have wings. The flowers occur singly. The fruit stalks are stout. The fruit are large and yellow with brown protuberances. The fruit is soft. The pulp is white, juicy and sweet. The fruit can be 15 cm across and up to 20 cm long. There is a brown oval seed in each section of the fruit. The seeds are flattened and 1.5-2 cm long by 1 cm wide. This name is still being reviewed. It may be Annona mucosa Jacq.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It is native to tropical America. It grows in warm, wet regions of the tropics. It grows up to 1,500 m above sea level in the Amazon. It often grows on limestone. It needs full sun. It cannot tolerate frost. It will tolerate very wet soils. It will grow in regions that are flooded for part of the year. It grows in areas with 1500 mm of rain each year and temperatures of 24°-26°C. It suits hardiness zones 10-11. Once mature they can stand temperatures down to freezing for short periods. The soil needs to be free draining. Shelter from wind is important. It can grow in full sun of light shade.
Countries/locations it is found in
Amazon, Asia, Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti (country/location of origin), Hawaii, Honduras, Indonesia, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, South America, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Venezuela, West Indies
How it is used for food
The fruit is eaten fresh. They are also made into juice.
It is a cultivated fruit tree.
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed. They can also be grown by layering and by using grafts. To maintain the sweetest varieties, grafting is used. For seed, the ripe fruit are harvested and the seeds removed and washed. Fresh seed should be planted and as they have a hard seed coat they need to be scratched or treated with chemicals to help them germinate. A spacing of 4 m is suitable. Mulching is useful as long as it is kept away from the trunk. Thin hanging branches can be pruned back. The fruit is harvested when it just begins to turn yellow. When the fleshy spines start to turn black is the best time to eat the fruit. Fruit can be stored at 15-17°C.
The tree is fast growing. The fruit matures in 90 days. Mature fruit can weigh 1.4 kg.
Its other names
Local names
Akxitkiwi, Amazon custard apple, Anona, Anon, Anonilla, Biriba, Cachiman-montagne, Chirimolia, Chiromoya, Countess fruit, Fruta de Condessa, Pohon biriba, Wild sweetsop
Synonyms
Annona biflora R.&.P ex G. Don; Annona mucosa Jacq.; Annona obtusiflora Tuss.; Annona obtusifolia DC.; Annona pterocarpa R & P ex R.E.Fries; Annona reticulata L. var. mucosa (Jacq.) Willd.; Annona squamosa auct. non L.; Rollinia biflora Ruiz. & Pav. ex G. Don; Rollinia curvipetala R.E. Fr.; Rollinia deliciosa Saff.; Rollinia jimenezii Safford; Rollinia mucosa (Jacq.) Baill. var. macropoda R.E. Fr.; Rollinia neglecta R.E. Fr.; Rollinia orthopetala A. DC.; Rollinia permensis Standl.; Rollinia pterocarpa G. Don; Rollinia pulchrinervia A. DC.; Rollinia sieberi A. DC.