Soursop is the anchor of our whole Annona corner, and getting a fiberless variety felt like a deliberate upgrade rather than luck.
The Basics
Soursop, Annona muricata, is a tropical fruit tree in the custard apple family, Annonaceae.
Origin and Habitat
Native to the tropical Americas and the Caribbean, now grown throughout the tropics worldwide.
What It Looks Like
A medium tree with large, spiny, heart-shaped green fruit that can get surprisingly heavy, holding soft white fibrous flesh inside.
Uses and Flavor
Blended into juices and smoothies throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, with a tangy, slightly musky sweet-tart flavor. The leaves also show up in teas marketed under the name graviola.
Growing It Here
Part of the Annona family alongside rollinia, cherimoya, and envira caju, all clustered together in what’s become a lively little section of the food forest. Got a fiberless variety of seeds from Adam at one point, one of many seed packets he’s shared with us over the years. Our tree has been a great producer of fruit, but like the others in this corner it’s now dealing with the same mysterious new pest or disease that’s been showing up on Annonas across Hawaiʻi.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For
Mealybugs and the occasional seed borer are the usual Annona concerns, but the bigger issue right now is a still-unidentified pest or disease moving through Annona trees across the islands, ours included. Watching it closely.
Kenta’s Take
Regular soursop is great, but skipping the stringy fiber entirely is the kind of upgrade that’s easy to appreciate the first time you blend one up, disease pressure and all.