(Photo courtesy Fruitopia Nursery, Brisbane - fruitopianursery.com.au)
Annona atemoya
KJ Pinks grafted
A hybrid of two fruits - the sugar apple and the cherimoya.
Very juicy and smooth, sweet and a little tart, reminiscent of vanilla - the fruit is generally eaten fresh (often chilled first), but can also be added to smoothies, ice cream and desserts.
The creamy tinge between the carpals is the tell-tale sign the fruit is ready to pick (if picked too soon, it will not ripen).
The black seeds are toxic and inedible.
It is probably the oldest & biggest and certainly one of the best atemoyas, if not Annonas. From memory the recollections of a Brisbane botanic gardens worker of a fabulous human head sized fruit encountered in the 1860s in Suriname, French Guiana or somewhere around there caused a hunt. They were located and brought to Australia in the 1890s. Their story of survival and blossoming into the standard by which all others were judged for 100 years is quite a tale. All serious breeding programs in Australia try to impart or retain the mammoth taste.
Tree maintenance
The tree needs a humus rich soil, and lots of compost.
Water when the soil is dry.
Apply citrus fertiliser every three months until the tree begins to bear fruit. Regular fertilising is not common, but could increase the tree’s longevity.
Pruning - keep the tree to a manageable size.
Annona atemoya
KJ Pinks grafted
A hybrid of two fruits - the sugar apple and the cherimoya.
Very juicy and smooth, sweet and a little tart, reminiscent of vanilla - the fruit is generally eaten fresh (often chilled first), but can also be added to smoothies, ice cream and desserts.
The creamy tinge between the carpals is the tell-tale sign the fruit is ready to pick (if picked too soon, it will not ripen).
The black seeds are toxic and inedible.
It is probably the oldest & biggest and certainly one of the best atemoyas, if not Annonas. From memory the recollections of a Brisbane botanic gardens worker of a fabulous human head sized fruit encountered in the 1860s in Suriname, French Guiana or somewhere around there caused a hunt. They were located and brought to Australia in the 1890s. Their story of survival and blossoming into the standard by which all others were judged for 100 years is quite a tale. All serious breeding programs in Australia try to impart or retain the mammoth taste.
Tree maintenance
The tree needs a humus rich soil, and lots of compost.
Water when the soil is dry.
Apply citrus fertiliser every three months until the tree begins to bear fruit. Regular fertilising is not common, but could increase the tree’s longevity.
Pruning - keep the tree to a manageable size.
August 2022
