Herbarium JCB

Annona squamosa L.

Family : ANNONACEAE
(CUSTARD-APPLE FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Annonaceae
Species : Annona squamosa
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Annona squamosa L.
Common name : Custard Apple
Vernacular name : Sitha-phal, Saripha (Hin.); Sitha-phala (Kan.); Seetha (Tam.); Sithaphalamu, Sitapandu (Tel.); Ata (Ori.); Shubha (San.)
Key identification features : A small tree that occurs wild and also cultivated for its edible fruit. Leaves are simple, oblong with several lateral veins. Flowers are yellowish-green, several in leaf-opposed cymes. Petals and sepals are sepaloid and fleshy. Stamens are many with hooded anthers. Fruits are green, globose with well-marked areoles. The pulp is sweet in the ripe fruit. Seeds are many, brownish-black and hard. Bark is greyish, not very rough.
Habit : Tree
Flower, Fruit : March-December
Native : Central America, West Indies
Comments : Cultivated widely in Tropics for its edible fruits.
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Distribution Locality : Throughout Eastern Ghats.
World Distribution : Cultivated in most parts of the world.
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1; J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District ; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipal, Orissa; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Annona squamosa. Downloaded on 7 June 2025.