Pond Apple

Annona glabra L.

ah-NOAN-ah GLAY-brah

Annonaceae

Explanation of name: According to BA1, Annona is the Latinized form of a local plant name. (Fruits of Annona resemble pineapples, which bear the Latin name Ananas.) (Anona is a spelling seen in some historical contexts, but Annona is correct, as used in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.) Glabra means hairless.

Natural range: South Florida (where this species once dominated the south rim of Lake Okeechobee) to South America, and in Africa (probably not naturally)(LON, NE4); introduced as a grafting stock in Australia and escaped cultivation there.

Natural habitat (in Florida): Swamps and shores, cultivated under residential conditions.

Recognition: Small (as encountered in cultivation) tree having tough, glossy, elliptic leaves usually with the edges bent upwards, the leaves arranged in 2 rows along the stem. The inconspicuous round, pale yellow flowers with 6 broad leathery petals having numerous stamens; flowers forming on mature branches. Fruits resembling green human hearts, each containing several large, dark-colored flattened seeds. See comparisons with similar species above.

Landscape uses: Small tough native tree (potentially large under natural conditions) with irregular, gnarly shape and low branching. Large specimens in wet sites can have buttressed trunks. Must be in a site where the large soft fruits cause no problem. Tolerant of soggy conditions.