Cherimoya

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Name Variations

 * custard apple
 * sherbet fruit
 * chirimolla
 * chirimoya

About Cherimoya
The Cherimoya Annona cherimola is a species of Annona native to the Andean-highland valleys of Perú, Ecuador, and Chile. It is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 7 m tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, oblong-lanceolate, 7-15 cm long and 6-10 cm broad. The flowers are produced in small clusters, each flower 2-3 cm across, with six petals, yellow-brown, often spotted purple at the base.

The fruit is oval, often slighly oblique, 10-20 cm long and 7-10 cm diameter, with a smooth or slightly tuberculated skin. The fruit flesh is white, and has numerous seeds embedded in it.

Although it is widely popular in Chile, Cherimoya is not native to that area. It has, however, been cultivated in Chile, making the nation one of the main exporters of Cherimoya in the region.