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Plants

sugar apple

Annona squamosa L.

Family: Annonaceae · Genus: Annona

sweetsop, custard apple

Secondary I High No biomass production
Ton Rulkens · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

Small tropical fruit tree, same family as graviola. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3. Tolerates poor soils and drought; traditional in agroforestry systems of the Brazilian northeast and São Francisco Valley.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary I
Ecological role
Early secondary
Primary stratum
High
Strata
High, Medium
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Low
Drought tolerance
High
Soil pH range
6–8
Preferred soil texture
Sandy, Loamy
Hardiness zones
10–12
Frost tolerance
-2.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
3–8 m
Recommended spacing
4–5 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Medium
Growth rate
Fast
Time to first harvest
30 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Sugar apple takes the High stratum in the Secondary I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent High · ≈8 m Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Low (3–6 m), highly branched tree with a weak taproot and abundant fine lateral roots. Spacing 4–5 m between plants. Tolerates poor, alkaline (pH up to ~8) and saline soils, and well-drained sandy to loamy soils. Very well adapted to the semi-arid: the water stress of the northeastern dry season favours flowering. Cold-sensitive: defoliates below 10 °C and dies a few degrees below zero. Production begins at 2–4 years.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: January, February

Fruiting months: March, April, May

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of sugar apple?

The first harvest of sugar apple comes around 30 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for sugar apple?

The recommended spacing for sugar apple is 4–5 m.

How tall does sugar apple grow?

At maturity, sugar apple reaches 3–8 m tall.

When does sugar apple fruit?

Fruiting of sugar apple occurs in March, April, May.

When does sugar apple flower?

Flowering of sugar apple occurs in January, February.

What stage and stratum does sugar apple occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, sugar apple belongs to the secondary i stage, occupying the high stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit

Propagation

Seed, Grafting

Citations

  1. Pasini, F. & Guimarães, L. (2017) — Tabela 3 (Incaper) , p. 116 (primary_stratum)
  2. Embrapa/UNIVASF — O cultivo da pinha, fruta-do-conde ou ata (Annona squamosa L.) no Brasil (height_min_m, height_max_m, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, root_system, phenology, cultivation_notes)
  3. PFAF Plant Database — Annona squamosa (Sugar Apple) (ph_min, ph_max, hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, soil_texture_preference, light_need, time_to_first_harvest_months, root_system)
  4. Gardenia — Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa) (frost_tolerance_c, cultivation_notes)
  5. GBIF — Annona squamosa L. (external_ids)
  6. Wikidata — Annona squamosa (Q275620) (external_ids)

External references

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