Annona glabra, known as pond-apple, alligator-apple, swamp-apple, corkwood, and monkey-apple, is a tropical fruit tree in the family Annonaceae. Related species include cherimoya (A. cherimola) and soursop (A. muricata). It is native to southern Florida in the United States (including the Everglades), the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, West Africa, and South Asia (Sri Lanka); it is an aggressive invader in the Pacific region.

A. glabra grows in swamps and tolerates saltwater; it cannot grow in dry soil. The trees reach a height of 15 m. They have thin, gray trunks, often buttressed at the base. Leaves, which are late deciduous, are ovate to oblong with an acute tip, 8–15 cm long and 4–6 cm wide. Flowers are solitary, 2–3 cm across, white to light yellow, with a rose-colored patch at each sepal base. Fruits are oblong to spherical, 7–15 cm long and up to 9 cm diameter (Wikipedia 2011).

Fruits disperse by floating on water. A. glabra appears to have naturally colonized West Africa from seeds transported on water from tropical America (Csurshes and Edwards 1998, ISSG 2011).

Pond-apple fruits are eaten by many animal species: the common name alligator-apple is said to come from the fact that American alligators eat the fruit. The fruit has pungent to aromatic flesh, which is edible for humans, and can be made into jam. Some people consider the flavor agreeable, while others have characterized it as “insipid” or “scarcely desirable” (FNA 2011, FOC 2011). The flavor and texture are considered inferior to the related cherimoya and soursop, and the fruit has never attained popular use. However, a recent study (Cochrane et al. 2008) suggests that an extract from pond-apple seeds contains anticancer compounds that could be used pharmaceutically.

A. glabra is used as a hardy rootstock for grafts of more commercially desirable related fruits, such as soursop and sugar-apple (A. squamosa). Other than this, it is not cultivated widely.

Through its introduction as a rootstock, however, A. glabra has escaped cultivation and become weedy or invasive in Pacific countries including Fiji, French Polynesia, Vietnam, and Australia (PIER 2011). The Global Invasive Species Database describes it as “a highly invasive woody weed that threatens wetland and riparian ecosystems of wet tropics, world heritage areas and beyond.” (ISSG 2011). It can invade fresh, brackish and saltwater areas and its thickets are capable of replacing whole ecosystems. Its seed is primarily dispersed by water, especially during floods. Disturbed flood-prone ecosystems are most at risk from pond apple invasion, particularly mangroves, melaleuca woodlands, riparian areas, drainage lines, coastal dunes and islands (Australian Government 2003). In estuaries and mangrove swamps, it can outcompete grasses and sedges, inhibit germination of Melaleuca species, and alter fire regimes (ISSG 2011).

It is categorized as a Class 2 weed in Australia, which indicates that it has spread over substantial areas of Australia (particularly in Queensland), and has serious impacts that must be controlled (Queensland 2007). Its sale in Australia for any purpose is prohibited.

Fla; West Indies; Mexico; Central America; South America; w Africa; South Asia (Sri Lanka).

Gulf of Mexico

Annona glabra L.:
Australia (Oceania)
Belize (Mesoamerica)
Brazil (South America)
Ecuador (South America)
El Salvador (Mesoamerica)
French Guiana (South America)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
Honduras (Mesoamerica)
United States (North America)
Panama (Mesoamerica)
Gabon (Africa & Madagascar)
Guatemala (Mesoamerica)
India (Asia)
Suriname (South America)
Guyana (South America)
Venezuela (South America)
Caribbean (Caribbean)
Costa Rica (Mesoamerica)
China (Asia)
Colombia (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Shrubs or trees , to ca. 15 m; trunks commonly buttressed at base. Principal leaves late deciduous; petiole 10-20mm. Leaf blade ovate to elliptic, 5-15 × 6(-8) cm, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex acute to short-acuminate; surfaces glabrous. Inflorescences from leaf axils on new shoots, solitary flowers; peduncle stout, linear, club-shaped, to 2cm, becoming enlarged. Flowers: sepals reniform-cordate, 5-6 mm, glabrous; outer petals cream-white, ovate-cordate, adaxially concave, 2.5-3 cm, apex acute; inner petals cream-white, inside base deep purple, oblong-ovate, 2-2.5 cm, base cupped, incurved-cuneate, at least 2×3 length of outer petals, corrugate; stamens linear, 3-4 mm; connective thickened above anther tip; pistils conically massed, connate. Syncarp pendulous on thickened peduncle, dull yellow blotched with brown, ± ovoid, 5-12 cm, smooth with reticulate pattern formed by pistil boundaries. Seed ellipsoid to obovoid, 1-1.5 cm. 2 n =28.

Annona palustris Linnaeus

Wet substrates, brackish to fresh, in pond borders, tidally influenced stream banks, banks of estuaries and lakes; 0-50m.

Depth range based on 4 specimens in 1 taxon.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 1 - 1
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: Swamps and ponds.

Flowering spring-early summer.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 3
Specimens with Barcodes: 11
Species With Barcodes: 1

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N2 - Imperiled

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: In South America, found from the Guyanas south to Santa Catarina (Santos 1987). Found in southern Florida, and widely distributed in Tropical America as well as the coast of West Africa. Found in swamps and on pond banks.

Comments: The fruit is edible and common to Panama. Brucher (1984) states "We have seen it growing wild on the banks of rivers in Panama. Its smallish fruits have a pleasent odour, yellow flesh and black kernels. It cannot be excluded that A. glabra may be an ancestral form of some of the domesticates." Used in carpentry and for boxes, batten (translated from "ripas", Portugese) and boat masts (Santos 1987).

Annona glabra ( Annona sect. Phelloxylon Safford) has edible although scarcely desirable, yellow-fleshed fruits. The sectional name (Greek phellos , cork and xylon , wood) is descriptive because small sections of the very light wood have been used as floats by fishermen. Forms with smaller leaves and fruit have been considered a species referable to A . palustris (J. K. Small 1933); W. E. Safford (1914) considered them to be of no taxonomic consequence.