Atemoya
Annona × atemoya
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The Atemoya (Annona × atemoya) is a hybrid fruit tree from the Annonaceae family, resulting from a cross between the cherimoya (Annona cherimola) and the sugar apple (Annona squamosa). It is prized for its sweet, creamy flesh and is grown commercially in subtropical and tropical regions worldwide.
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Magnoliales
Family
Annonaceae
Genus
Annona
Species
Annona × atemoya
The atemoya is a human-made hybrid first created in 1908 by P.J. Wester at the United States Department of Agriculture's Subtropical Laboratory in Miami, Florida. Its parent species originate from the Neotropics: the cherimoya from the Andean highlands of South America and the sugar apple from the lowland tropics of the Americas and the Caribbean. Commercial production is now concentrated in regions like Australia, Israel, South Africa, and Taiwan.
The atemoya is a small, fast-growing deciduous or semi-deciduous tree reaching 3–8 m in height.
As an interspecific hybrid, the atemoya's ecological niche is largely defined by cultivation. It thrives in warm subtropical to tropical climates with distinct seasons. It is sensitive to frost and requires well-drained soils. Pollination is primarily entomophilous, relying on specific beetles (family Nitidulidae) for effective pollen transfer, though hand-pollination is standard in commercial orchards to ensure fruit set and symmetrical fruit shape.
Atemoya trees require careful management for successful fruit production, particularly regarding pollination and pruning.
Fun Fact
The atemoya's fruit quality is a direct expression of its hybrid vigor, combining the cherimoya's rich, subacid flavor and smooth texture with the sugar apple's higher temperature tolerance and distinctive knobby skin. Its name, 'atemoya,' is a portmanteau of old colloquial names for its parents: 'ate' (from the sugar apple's former name, 'sweet-sop' or 'ate') and 'moya' (from cherimoya).
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