Agroforestry & Ethnobotany

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This small anonilla fruit is sweet and tasty, and is common in fallows.



Gunábana (soursop) fruit. This large fruit was once a forest fruit, and has since been domesticated.

Family: Annonaceae
Latin name: Anonna spp.

Vernacular name
Anona, sacha anona, anonilla, guanábana

Ethnobotany
This genus has several species that produce excellent fruits. Guanábana (soursop) is used in drinks and ice cream. The fruit of anona (custard apple) is sweet and delicious, but not very popular in the region. People frequently say that it looks identical to mucous and does not appeal to them. The species with smallest fruits have strong flexible wood which is good for crafts and projects where wood is needed to be bent or shaped into wheels and other designs without breaking.

Agroforestry
Guanábana (soursop) can be challenging to grow, and suffers from insect pests. Anona (custard apple) grows quickly even in poor soils, and usually remains relatively small in size with a light canopy. This allows to it grow well in association with many tree species in the uplands such as cashew and Pourouma cecropiifolia. It can be kept short by pruning, and produce throughout the year. It is a shame that market demand is small for anona, because the tree is easy to cultivate. The soft fruits do not keep well, and attract primates and animal pests to gardens.