Cherimoya

Cherimoya
Branch with leaves and fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Annona
Species:
A. cherimola
Binomial name
Annona cherimola
Current range of native and naturalized A. cherimola
Synonyms

Annona pubescens Salisb.
Annona tripetala Aiton
Annona cherimolia Mill. orth. var.

The cherimoya (Annona cherimola), also spelled cherimoyer and chirimoya, and called chirimuya by the Quechua people, is a species of edible fruit-bearing plant in the genus Annona, within the family Annonaceae, which also includes the closely related sweetsop and soursop. Native to mountainous regions of Honduras and Guatemala, the plant has a long history of cultivation in the Andes and Central America

Today the Cherimoya is grown in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, including Central America, northern South America, southern California, South Asia, Australia, the Mediterranean region, and North Africa. American writer Mark Twain called the cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men". The creamy texture of the flesh gives the fruit its secondary name, the custard apple.