from February to April. Uses Food Custard apple can be eaten raw, out of hand as a fresh fruit. It is not as popular as the sugar apple or the cherimoya. It can also be prepared as juices, ice-cream or puddings. In India, it is cooked into a sauce. Propagation A. reticulata may be grown in home gardens, even though it may not be as popular as the sugar apple (A. squamosa). It has value as rootstock for superior Annona species, such as the sugar apple, especially under humid conditions. It is also a genetic resource for hybridization. Other The leaves and the branches can be used for tanning as they contain blue pigments. Wrappers, ornaments and hats can be made from the inner bark. The wood is soft and can be used to make utensiles, even though, it is weak and of bad quality. Nutrition In a 100 gram reference amount, custard apple supplies 101 calories, 23% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C and 17% DV of vitamin B6, with no other micronutrients in significant amounts (table). Raw custard apple is 72% water, 25% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and 1% fat (table). Risk and impact Annona reticulata is known to be an invasive plant. A PIER risk assessment gave a score of 11 for the Annona reticulata. It negatively impacts the population cultivating the crop as all parts of the tree (except the fruit) are toxic, possibly causing problems for human health. Diseases and pests The diseases that can spread to Annona reticulata include the Anthracnose, the leaf spot, the diplodia rot and the black canker. The spiral nematode, the stunt nematode and the mealybug can also infect the plant Aroma and phytochemicals The fragrant aroma of A. reticulata results from some 180 compounds, including the volatile compounds, alpha-pinene, myrcene, and limonene, among others. The plant is rich in tannins. Traditional medicine Various traditional medicine uses have been reported over centuries for its dried fruits, bark, or leaves. References External links Custard apples (Annona spp.) by H. Mahdeem, 5 July 1998. reticulata Trees of South America Crops originating from South America Tropical fruit Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Pantropical flora