Annona glabra: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 20:33, 16 July 2005
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The alligator apple (Annona glabra) is a tropical fruit tree in the family Annonaceae, in the same genus as the soursop and cherimoya. It is known by the alternate names pond apple, corkwood, bobwood, and monkey apple. It was given the name alligator apple because alligators sometimes eat the fruit.
The tree is native to the West Indies and Florida, and is common in the Everglades. It grows in swamps, is tolerant of salt water, and cannot grow in dry soil. The trees grow to a height of around 40 feet. They have thin, gray trunks and sometimes grow in clumps. The fruit is spherical and apple-sized, and falls when it is still green. It disperses by floating to new locations, and it is food for many animal species. It is edible for humans, and can be made into jam, although the taste is usually not preferable to soursop and other related fruits.
This is a very troublesome invasive species in Australia. There it grows in estuaries and chokes mangrove swamps, where its seedlings carpet the banks and prevent other species from germinating or thriving.