Annona cherimola Mill., Annonaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results:  Low risk, score: -4 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Annona pubescens Salisb.; Annona tripetala Aiton

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: mao ye fan li zhi

English: cherimoya, custard-apple

French: chérimolier

Hawaiian: kelemoio, momona

Spanish: chirimoya, chirimoyo

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Rounded shrub to 5 m tall; young twigs persistently ferruginous-tomentose with very fine, short hairs; petioles stoutish, 6-10 mm long, densely tomentose; leaf blades mostly elliptic but occasionally lanceolate or broadly elliptic, cuneate to rounded at base, obtuse or acute at apex, 5-15 cm long, 3-10 cm wide, finely and softly velutinous-pubescent with tangled, subappressed, simple hairs, these ferruginous on very young growth and along veins on undersurface, soon glabrate above, the blades much paler beneath than above; flowers opposite leaves, solitary or in pairs, the petioles ferruginous-tomentose, 8-12 mm long; buds 15-18 mm long, 5-8 m broad at base, lanceolate-oblong, tomentose outside; sepals triangular, 2-4 mm long, tomentose; petals linear, 1.5-2.5 cm long at anthesis, ferruginous-tomentose on outer surface, greenish within; stamens many; fruit ovoid to globose, 5-10 cm in diameter, greenish to greenish-purple or nearly black, the surface with rounded protuberances and with U-shaped areoles, or sometimes nearly smooth; fleshy arils white, slightly acid, edible; seeds oblong, 10-12 mm long, about half as wide, smooth, black"  (Wiggins & Porter, 1971; pp. 521-522).

Habitat/ecology:  Cultivated and escapes.  "It requires cooler temperatures to prosper" (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 109), so probably not a threat on most Pacific islands.

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Probably native to the Andes of  Peru and Ecuador, where it thrives at elevations of 4,500-6,500 feet"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 109).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Rapa Nui (Easter) Island	Rapa Nui (Easter) Island (Isla de Pasqua)	introduced invasive cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2008) (p. 45)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 473-474, 520, 551)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Floreana Group	Floreana Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 68)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2003) (voucher ID: PTBG 40850) Taxon name on voucher: Annona cherimola
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 78)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Cultivée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2002) (p. 4) Vouchers cited: O. Degener 7276 (BISH), J.F. Rock 12961 (BISH), A.S. Hitchcock 14507 (BISH), W. Takeuchi 5777 (BISH)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 15) Voucher cited: MacKee 23423
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R. (1977) (pp. 75-76)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 111) "Forming large thickets from original planted stock in old orchards".
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Palau Islands (main island group)	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Widely cultivated; 100-300 m.
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 13) Cultivated only
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Loja [Andes]
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) [Andes]
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Widely cultivated; 100-300 m.
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Annona cherimola, please let us know.