Custard Apple Family

The custard apple clan (Annonaceae) is part of the magnolia tree family. Also known as the soursop family, these trees and shrubs are primarily tropical. While the fruit is often edible, there are risks to eating other parts of these plants.

​Before we learn about those risks, let’s see what we’re talking about. The following edibles are all members of the custard apple family (most of which I had never heard of until today). Understanding about plant families can help you prevent pest and disease problems and provide better care for your garden and landscape plants.

​Biribá

Soncoya fruit (Rovin Laudin Alba Torres)

Biribá (Rollinia deliciosa) is also known as the lemon meringue pie fruit, so I am intrigued! These trees grow fast, are flood-tolerant, and love plenty of sunshine. The fruit turns yellow when ripe but doesn’t last long enough to get to grocery store shelves. If you live in a semi-tropical region, this is the one I recommend.

Biribá (申義徳博士) CC BY-SA 4.0

Cherimoya
 
Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) fruits are heart-shaped and look like they are covered with scales. They grow fast and are mostly evergreen. But cherimoya seeds are poisonous if crushed, so don’t chew on them.
 
Custard apple
 
Custard apple (A. reticulata) fruits are fragrant and commonly used in juices, pudding, and eaten raw. The wood is soft and low quality, but the plants are often used as rootstock for other Annona species.
 
Ilama
 
Ilama (A. diversifolia) fruit comes in green and pink varieties. And those pink ones nearly look red inside. These plants are generally non-climacteric, so fruits will not ripen once picked.
 
Soncoya
 
Soncoya (A. purpurea) fruits look bristly and are generally not worth growing. It is fibrous and described as “of indifferent quality” (Wikipedia). I think they look pretty neat, and they can be grown in containers.

Soursop fruit (Damien Boilley) CC BY-SA 2.0

Soursop
 
Soursop (A. muricata) trees love heat and humidity. The fruit smells similar to pineapple and tastes like a cross between apples and strawberries, though I have never had it. Some people claim that soursop cures cancer, but there are no studies to verify those claims.
 
Sugar apple/sweetsop
 
Sugar apple/sweetsop (A. squamosa) has a distinct custard flavor. Trees are small, semi-deciduous, and prolific. The seeds are commonly ground up and used as an insecticide.

Sweetsop fruit (Yarzaryeni) CC BY 4.0

Pests and diseases of the custard apple family
 
Custard apple plants are susceptible to anthracnose, black canker, diplodia rot, and leaf spot. Common pests include mealybugs and nematodes. These plants are considered invasive in many regions.
 
So what about those risks?
 
While most of these aromatic, tropical and semi-tropical plants share similar growth habits, low-branching, large, sometimes fuzzy, leaves, and textured, heavy fruits, they also share a big problem. 
 
The seeds and leaves of these plants contain something called annonacin. Annonacin is a potentially lethal neurotoxin that can cause brain lesions consistent with Parkinson’s disease. The leaves are commonly used in teas and herbal remedies, and regular use can cause severe diseases, including Parkinson’s and palsy, so only eat the fruit.