Annona cherimola (Cherimoya or Custard Apple)

Probably originating in Mexico and Central America and long cultivated in the Andes, this partly deciduous fruit tree can reach about 25 feet tall. In Colombia, it occurs between about 1,000 and 8,200 feet. The sweet, creamy flesh is eaten fresh or used in ice cream, sherbets, and other desserts. Each fruit develops from the fused ovaries of a single flower. Flowers receive pollen before they release their own, and growers often hand-pollinate them to improve fruit set and shape. The seeds are poisonous. It has naturalized on the island of Hawaiʻi, United States. Photographed in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.