Annona glabra L.

Annona species are evergreen trees. Bark dark brown, fissured. Leaves simple, alternate, exstipulate, coriaceous, glabrous, glaucous or slightly pubescent beneath. Flowers bisexual, terminal or leaf opposed, solitary or in fascicles, Sepals 3, valvate, Petals 3 or 6, valvate, much larger than the sepals, outer whorl fleshy and triquetrous above with a thinner concave base, inner whorl if present very small, strap shaped. Stamens numerous, anthers narrow, ovoid, dorsal at the top of connectives. Carpels many, subconnate, ovule 1 basal, erect, style oblong, carpels partly free in flower, later confluent into large syncarpous fleshy fruit, 1 ovuled, Seed with fleshy albumen.

Annona species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: January-April.

Seeds dispersed by barochory i.e., gravitational dispersal, endozoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Shrub or small trees about 4-8 m tall. Bark dark brown, fissured and fibrous, roots profusely branched with spongy tissue with large air spaces found between the cells providing buoyancy and allowing the circulation of gases (aerenchymatous) with thick corky pith. Branchlets lenticellate, subglabrous. Leaves simple, alternate, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic or oblong, 10-20 x 4-8 cm across, base broadly obtuse or rounded, margin entire, apex obtuse to acute, coriaceous, dark green, shining glabrous above, paler glaucous beneath, lateral veins 8-15 on either side of the midrib, impressed above, prominent on midrib beneath, reticulate veinlets fine and close, petiole glabrous, stout, light pale green, about 1-2.5 cm long. Flowers bisexual, cauline, solitary extra axillary or leaf opposed, buds obovoid to ovoid, pedicels glabrous, wider near the base, about 1-2 cm long. Sepals 3, ovate or suborbicular, apex acute or connate into a 3 angled shallow cup, thick, cream colored, glabrous, about 5 x 7 mm across. Petals 6, in 2 series, subequal, outer petals triangular, apex acute, thick, glabrous, whitish yellow outside, glabrous cream colored near the base, remaining about ¾ portion bright red inside, about 1.5-2 x 1-1.5 cm across, inner petals if present minute, squamose, triangular or ovate, keeled outwards, reddish inside, cream colored outside. Stamens many, yellow, arranged on a 4 mm long torus, anthers hooded. Carpels numerous, arranged over the torus, stigma sessile, spathulate. Ripe carpels, broadly subglobose or ellipsoid in fruit, slightly arolate with thick fragrant, golden yellowish pulp, about 10-20 cm in diameter, puberulous, stalk stout, about about 2 cm long, Seeds many, dark reddish brown or blackish.

Susceptible to insect pests.

Notes: Western Ghats, Naturalised, Native of Tropical and Sub tropical America and W. Africa

Naturalized and common in back waters of Kumarakom bird sanctuary, Kerala.

Fruits eaten by birds, Porous root wood used to make corks.