In tropical and semi-tropical climates this name is applied to several species of the Anona of the natural order Anonaceae.

The large, and in some cases very large, fruits are extensively used in the tropics, and are seen in the markets of Southern cities and rarely at the North. No attempt has been made as yet to improve the fruit by culture or crossing, but some of the selected varieties are under cultivation in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California.

Custard Apple Varieties And Species

Bullock's Heart (Anona Reticulata)

Large to very large, three to four inches in diameter, heart-shaped; color dark brown, with depressions of skin giving a quilted expression; pulp yellow on the outside and white in the center; sweet, excellent; much prized in Southern Florida.

Peruvian (Jamaica, Cherimoyer)

Very large, three to four inches in diameter; often heart-shaped; color brown or nearly black. Flesh soft, sweet, pleasantly flavored. As Prof. Wickson says: "If it has a fault it is too rich." Grown as far north as Santa Barbara in California, and in South Arizona and Florida.

Pond Apple (Anona Glabra)

A small, nearly evergreen tree. Fruit size of a Bellflower apple; heart-shaped, conical; color brownish yellow; pulp cream-colored, fragrant; fair in quality. Native to swamps in Southern Florida, but does well under culture.

Soursop (Anona Muricata)

Very large, long, often eight inches in length and weighing five pounds; color dark green, with rough skin and soft prickles; color greenish; pulp with agreeable sour taste and an aroma that many do not like. Only grown in South Florida, on the Keys, and in extreme South California.

Sweetsop (Anona Squamosa)

This is the Sugar apple of the West Indies. Fruit large, three to four inches in diameter, egg-shaped; color yellowish green with protuberances and depressions of skin; rind rather thick. Flesh creamy yellow and custard-like, sweet, and, to those accustomed to its use, delicious. Quite extensively cultivated in lower Florida, in extreme Southwest Texas near Brownsville, and in South California.