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Growables
Origin
Annona cherimola Miller, the cherimoya, is thought to originate from cold but frost-free valleys of the Andes (southern Ecuador and northern Peru) at an altitude of between 700 and 2400 m. 3
The name Cherimoya originates from the Quechua word chirimuya, which means “cold seeds,” because the plant grows at high altitudes and the seeds will germinate at higher altitudes. 1
There are an estimated 2200 species of Annonaceae in the world. These include numerous fruit-trees, especially of the genera Annona and Rollinia; the majority of Annona species and all the Rollinia species originate from the New World. 3
Description
The tree is erect but low branched and somewhat shrubby or spreading; ranging from 16 to 30 ft (5 to 9 m) in height; and its young branchlets are rusty-hairy. The leaves are briefly deciduous (just before spring flowering), alternate, 2-ranked, with minutely hairy petioles 1/4 to 1/2 in. (6 to 12.5 mm) long; ovate to elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, short blunt-pointed at the apex; slightly hairy on the upper surface, velvety on the underside; 3 to 6 in. (7.5-15 cm) long, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 in. (3.8-8.9 cm) wide. 1