Soursop

For the herbaceous plant, see Oxalis pes-caprae.

Soursop
A spiy green fruit growing on a tree
Soursop fruit on its tree
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Annona
Species:
A. muricata
Binomial name
Annona muricata
Synonyms

Annona macrocarpa Wercklé
Annona crassiflora Mart.[1]
Guanabanus muricatus M.Gómez
Guanabanus muricatus (L.) M.Gómez[2]
Annona bonplandiana Kunth
Annona cearensis Barb. Rodr.
Annona muricata Vell.[3]

A. muricata flower

Soursop (also called graviola, guyabano, and in Latin America guanábana) is the fruit of Annona muricata, a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree.[4][5] It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean and is widely propagated.[5] It is in the same genus, Annona, as cherimoya and is in the Annonaceae family.

The soursop is adapted to areas of high humidity and relatively warm winters; temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F) will cause damage to leaves and small branches, and temperatures below 3 °C (37 °F) can be fatal. The fruit becomes dry and is no longer good for concentrate.

With an aroma similar to pineapple,[5] the flavor of the fruit has been described as a combination of strawberries and apple with sour citrus flavor notes, contrasting with an underlying thick creamy texture reminiscent of banana.

Soursop is widely promoted (sometimes as graviola) as an alternative cancer treatment, but there is no reliable medical evidence that it is effective for treating cancer or any disease.[6]

  1. ^ "Annona muricata". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  2. ^ "Plant Name Details Annonaceae Aluguntugui L." International Plant Names Index. International Organization for Plant Information (IOPI). Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  3. ^ "Annona muricata L." Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  4. ^ "Annona muricata (soursop)". CABI. January 3, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Julia F. Morton (1987). "Soursop, Annona muricata". West Lafayette, IN: New Crop Resource Online Program, Center for New Crops & Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference canuk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).