African custard-apple | |
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Annona senegalensis fruit on a stem, with leaves near Fada N'gourma in Burkina Faso. | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Magnoliids |
Order: | Magnoliales |
Family: | Annonaceae |
Genus: | Annona |
Species: | A. senegalensis
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Binomial name | |
Annona senegalensis |
Annona senegalensis, commonly known as African custard-apple,[3] wild custard apple, wild soursop, abo ibobo (Yoruba language),[4] sunkungo (Mandinka language), and dorgot (Wolof language)[5] is a species of flowering plant in the custard apple family, Annonaceae. The specific epithet, senegalensis, translates to mean "of Senegal", the country where the type specimen was collected.[6]
A traditional food plant in Africa, the fruits of A. senegalensis have the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable land care. Well known where it grows naturally, it is largely unheard of elsewhere.[3]