From the Manual Of
Tropical And Subtropical Fruits
by Wilson Popenoe
The Ilama
Annona diversifolia
The ilama is probably the finest annonaceous fruit which can be
grown in the tropical lowlands; yet it has not, until very recently,
been planted outside the region in which it is indigenous. Now that it
has been called to the attention of horticulturists, its range should
be extended rapidly to all parts of the tropics.
The
identity of the ilama, first mentioned by Francisco Hernandez toward
the end of the sixteenth century, remained in doubt until W. E. Safford
showed, in 1911, that it was a species which had not been described
botanically. Safford named it Annona
diversifolia,
and brought together much information concerning its habits and the
character of its fruit. These data were published in the Journal of the
Washington Academy of Sciences, March 4, 1912. More recently the writer
has been able to study the species in Mexico and Guatemala, and the
United States Department of Agriculture has distributed several
thousand plants in the warmest regions of the United States and in
tropical America.
The tree grows to an ultimate height of 25
feet. It is slender in habit, the trunk not more than 10 inches thick,
often branching from the ground to form three to six main stems. Some
trees are erect, others spreading in habit. The foliage somewhat
resembles that of A. squamosa, but the leaves are larger and of
distinct form, being broadly elliptic to oblance-olate, rounded at the
apex, and 4 to 5 1/2 inches in length. A distinguishing characteristic
of this species is the presence of orbicular leaf-like bracts at the
bases of the smaller branchlets. The flowers are maroon-colored, 1 inch
long, with the three outer petals linear-oblong in form, the inner
petals minute. The fruit is conical, oval, or round in form, the
largest specimens weighing about 1 1/2 pounds. The surface is rough,
with the carpellary areas indicated by deeply incised lines; from each
of the areoles thus formed rises a short thick protuberance. Sometimes
these protuberances are suppressed, the fruit then being almost smooth.
The color varies from pale green to magenta-pink. An appearance of
whiteness is given by the presence of a thick bloom over the entire
surface. In the pale green varieties the flesh is white; in the pink
kinds it is tinged with rose-pink. The flavor is sweet, very similar to
that of the sugar-apple in the green varieties; in the pink it is more
acid, resembling that of the cherimoya. The seeds are about as numerous
as in the latter species but larger in size. The fruits are used fresh,
like those of the sugar-apple.
Fig. 27. The ilama (Annona
diversifolia), an excellent fruit from southern Mexico and
Central America. (X about 1/2)
The
ilama is indigenous in the mountains and foothills of southwestern
Mexico, Guatemala, and Salvador, but is not known to occur at
elevations greater than 2000 feet. It is found in the gardens of many
Mexican and Central American towns, notably in Tapachula, Chiapas,
where it is one of the principal cultivated fruit-trees. In Colima and
Acapulco, Mexico, it is called ilama (the ilamatzapotl or "old women's
zapote" of Hernandez), while from Tehuantepec to the Guatemalan border
it is known as papauce. In Guatemala and Salvador it is named anona
blanca.
The climatic requirements of the ilama are similar
to those of the sugar-apple and the custard-apple. The species is found
only at relatively low elevations, indicating that it prefers a hot
climate. The amount of cold it will withstand has not yet been
determined. The regions where it occurs most abundantly are dry during
several consecutive months and subject to abundant rainfall the
remainder of the year. In Guatemala it sometimes appears in places
where there is little rainfall. The same is true as regards
Tehuantepec, but in this region the trees are irrigated. The best soil
seems to be a deep, rich, rather loose loam.
Although propagated in
Mexico and Central America by seed only, the ilama can probably be
budded in the same manner as other annonas. By using this method of
propagation, it will be possible to perpetuate the best varieties which
originate as seedlings.
The trees come into bearing when
three or four years old, and sometimes produce good crops. Productive
trees often bear 100 fruits in a single season. There is, however, the
same variation in this regard as with other annonas, though less as to
the form and size of the fruit. The ripening season is short; July and
August are the principal months. When the fruits are fully mature they
crack open. They are commonly left on the tree until they reach this
condition but it would be better to pick them a few days earlier. So
handled, they require to be kept one to three days after being taken
from the tree before they soften and are ready for eating.
The
ilama may be termed the cherimoya of the lowlands. The cherimoya does
not succeed in the tropics unless grown at elevations of 4000 to 6000
feet, where the climate is cool. The ilama, on the other hand, belongs
to the lowlands, but is strikingly similar in character to a good
cherimoya. It is a valuable recruit and one which cannot be too
strongly recommended for cultivation throughout the tropics.
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