sources available. When the A. glabra population is controlled, natural vegetation can regenerate without human intervention. Because of its impact on the environment as an invasive weed, the Australian government classifies the A. glabra as a Weed of National Significance (WONS). Additionally, the A. glabra was considered the highest ranked species in 2003 in a Wet Tropics bioregion weed risk assessment. In Sri Lanka it was introduced as a grafting stock for custard apples and spread into wetlands around Colombo. Control strategies Australia The Australian government views the A. glabra as a weed, and as such offers through its Department of the Environment and Energy a control plan created in 2001 for citizens that aims at eliminating the A. glabra by 20 years. The plan includes six steps that property owners can take to determine how to control and monitor an outbreak of A. glabra as well as how to minimize financial damage. To disincentivize the cultivation and spread of A. glabra by humans, its sale and entry is banned throughout most of Australia. Options for the control of the A. glabra include fire, chemical, and mechanical controls including combinations of the three types. The best time of year to do so according to the government of Australia is during the time between August to November, which is the dry season. There are currently no studies that have looked at the biological control of A. glabra within Australia. Without studies, any actions taken to eliminate the A. glabra with biological controls could inadvertently affect native Australian apple species that belong to the same family. References External links Pond-apple as an invasive species in Australia glabra Tropical fruit Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of Florida Flora of Mexico Flora of South America Invasive plant species in Sri Lanka Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus