Annona glabra L., Annonaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: alligator apple, bullock's heart, cherimoyer, pond apple

Fijian: kaitambo, kaitambu, uto ni bulumakau, uto ni mbulumakau

French: annone des marais, corossolier des marais

Spanish: anón liso, anona, bagá, palo bobo

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Tree (2-) 3-8 (-12) m high, the trunk narrowly buttressed at the base; leaves oblong-elliptical, acute or shortly acuminate, 7-15 cm long, up to 6 cm broad; pedicel curved, expanded distally; sepals 4.5 mm long, 9 mm broad, apiculate; outer petals valvate, ovate-cordate, cream-colored with a crimson spot at base within, 2.5-3 cm long, 2-2.5 cm broad; inner petals subimbricate, shortly clawed, 2-2.5 cm long, 1.5-1.7 cm broad, whitish outside, dark crimson within; stigmas sticky, deciduous; fruit up to 12 cm long, 8 cm broad, yellow outside when ripe, pulp pinkish-orange, rather dry, pungent-aromatic; seeds light brown, 1.5 cm long, 1 cm broad"  (Adams, 1972; p. 278).

Habitat/ecology:  "A semi-deciduous tree, usually 3-6 m tall.  Both the fruit and the seed float (an adaptation which facilitates dispersal in flowing water).  The hard seeds can remain viable for considerable periods in either fresh, brackish or sea water. A. glabra can behave as a 'freshwater or brackish water mangrove' as it can survive root immersion at high tide and prolonged freshwater flooding.  Seedlings require ample soil moisture and sunlight to survive.  Such conditions can be expected on riverbanks and in naturally open wetlands or disturbed wetlands and rainforests"  (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 139).

Propagation:  Fruits and seeds spread by water, pigs and birds.

Native range:  Fresh and brackish wetlands in tropical North, Central and South America and coastal West Africa (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 139).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced	Florence, J. (2004) (pp. 75-76)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1990) (voucher ID: BISH 614706) Taxon name on voucher: Annona glabra L.
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcan Sierra Negra	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	probably introduced invasive	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 77) Error? Presence questionable.
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 52) Voucher cited: Kanehira 872 (NY)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 39) Vouchers cited: Degener 15069, Smith 9343, DA 10117, DA 7566, DA 10931
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 91) In mangroves.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1941) (voucher ID: BISH 129143) Taxon name on voucher: Annona glabra L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1953) (voucher ID: BISH 129144) Taxon name on voucher: Annona glabra L.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Huahine Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (pp. 75-76)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 93) Wet lowlands.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (pp. 75-76)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 93) Wet lowlands.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (pp. 75-76)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (pp. 75-76)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2006) (p. Voucher specimens) Vouchers cited: Lorence 5570 (BISH 533596, BISH 533603), Weissich 131 (BISH 638515)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2006) (p. Voucher specimen) West Maui. Voucher cited: Annable 3875 (BISH 660358)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Maré	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 15) Voucher cited: Suprin in MacKee 41832 Spontané
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 15) Voucher cited: Robelin in Veillon 5357 (NOU)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 14)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)		Waterhouse, Barbara (year unknown)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Wairiu, M./Wagatora, D. (2002)

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)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 139)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 27)

Comments:  Naturalized and sometimes exhibiting invasive behavior in French Polynesia; widely naturalized in Fiji.

In north Queensland, Australia, it forms dense monotypic stands which displace native vegetation. A weed species in Vietnam. (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 139).

Control: 

Physical:  Hand pull seedlings and saplings

Chemical:  Cut larger trees and treat the stumps with herbicide.

Additional information:  Fact sheet from the Department of Natural Resources, Queensland, Australia. (PDF format)

Additional online information about Annona glabra is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Annona glabra may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Adams, C. D. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica. University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. 848 pp.

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1941. Voucher specimen #BISH 129143 (Degener, O. 15069).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1953. Voucher specimen #BISH 129144 (Smith, A.C. 9343).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1990. Voucher specimen #BISH 614706 (Sykes, W.R. 3018).

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Florence, J. 2004. Flore de la Polynésie française, Vol. 2. Paris. IRE Editions, Publications Scientifiques, Collection Faune et Flore Tropicales 41. 503 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Glassman, S. F. 1952. The flora of Ponape. Bishop Mus. Bull. 209: 1-152.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Humphries, S. E./Stanton, J. P. 1992. Weed assessment in the wet tropics world heritage area of north Queensland. Report to The Wet Tropics Management Agency. 75 pp. plus plates.

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2006. Annotated checklist of cultivated plants of Hawai‘i (online searchable database).

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 1998. Mécanismes et gestion des invasions biologiques par des plantes introduites dans des forêts naturales à Hawai‘i et Polynésie Française: une étude de cas [Mechanisms and management of biological invasions by alien plants in Hawaiian and French Polynesian natural forests: a case study]. Dèlégation à la Recherche, B.P. 20981 Papeete, Tahiti, Polynésie Française. Unpublished report.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

Thaman, R. R./Tuiwawa, M. 1999. Invasive, potentially invasive and adventive alien plant species of Fiji: a preliminary analysis of their status and measures required for their control. Preliminary draft discussion paper prepared for the SPREP Regional Invasive Species Strategy for the South Pacific Islands Region: Regional Workshop, Nadi, Fiji, 26 September-1 October 1999.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wairiu, M./Wagatora, D. 2002. Solomon Islands national profile report on invasive alien species. Prepared for "The prevention and management of invasive alien species: forging cooperation throughout the Austral Pacific", Honolulu, Hawai'i, 15-17 October 2002.

Waterhouse, Barbara. 0. Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.