Annona glabra (Pond Apple)

Annona glabra (Pond Apple) is a small to medium deciduous tree with a rounded, spreading crown and a short, buttressed trunk. The thick, shiny leaves, 3-6 in. (7-15 cm) are alternate, oblong-elliptical, dark green above and pale beneath, with a prominent midrib. They are aromatic when crushed. Blooming in mid-spring to early summer, the flowers are small, 1 in. across (2.5 cm), short-lived, and rarely noticed. They are pale-yellow to cream with 3 leathery outer petals and 3 smaller inner petals that are bright red to dark crimson within. They are followed by spherical or elongated green fruits, 2-6 in. across (5-15 cm), turning yellow or orange when ripe. Resembling smooth-skinned custard apples, they are edible, but distasteful, and contain numerous seeds. The fruits have been used to make jelly and custard. Pond Apple provides significant food and cover for wildlife. It attracts birds and beetle pollinators and is a major host plant for epiphytic bromeliads and orchids. Pond Apple tolerates regular inundation, salty wind, and salt spray without injury. It can be used as an accent tree in wet or mucky soils or along the edges of ponds and lakes. Native to the United States, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and West Africa, Pond Apple can be found in swamps, wet forests, sloughs, and sinkholes in rockland hammocks. This species is considered invasive in Australia.

• Grows up to 15-30 ft. tall (450-900 cm) and 15-20 ft. wide (450-600 cm).
• Performs best in full sun to light shade in wet to moist, poorly-drained to moderately well-drained organic soils. Tolerates standing water as well as salt.
• No serious pest or disease issues. The large fruits often litter the ground under the tree.
• Needs little pruning to develop a strong structure.
• Propagate by seed or grafting.
• Native to the United States, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and West Africa.
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The Pond Apple tree belongs to the Annonaceae family, commonly known as the custard apple family. This diverse family includes a variety of tropical and subtropical fruit trees prized for their unique flavors and ornamental value. Other notable members of the Annonaceae family include:

• Annona squamosa (Sugar Apple): Small tropical tree producing sweet, creamy, segmented fruits. Popular in Asia, the Americas, and the Caribbean.
• Annona cherimola (Cherimoya): Known for its creamy, custard-like flesh with tropical flavors. Mark Twain called it “the most delicious fruit known to men.”
• Annona muricata (Soursop or Graviola): Produces large, spiny fruits with sweet-sour pulp, used in food and traditional medicine.
• Annona reticulata (Custard Apple): Closely related to Sugar Apple and Cherimoya, with softer flesh and reddish or yellow skin when ripe.
• Asimina triloba (Pawpaw): The only temperate species in the family, native to North America. It bears banana-mango-flavored fruits with a custard-like consistency.