Annona purpurea

Annona purpurea

The Negrohead (Annona purpurea Moc. & Sessé ex Dunal, 1817) is an arboreal species belonging to the Annonaceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Magnoliophyta division,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Subclass Magnoliidae,
Order Magnoliales,
Annonaceae family,
Genus Annona,
Species A. purpurea.
The terms are synonyms:
– Annona involucrata Baill.;
– Annona manirote Kunth;
– Annona prestoei Hemsl.;
– Annona purpurea Moç. & Sessé.

Etymology –
The term Annona is the Latinized form of the vernacular name attributed to this plant by the Taino Indians of America.
The specific purpurea epithet comes from the Greek πορφύρεος porphýreos of a purple-red color in reference to the color of the flowers.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Annona purpurea is a plant native to an area that includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (Oaxaca, Vera Cruz and Yucatan), Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela where it grows mainly in the lowlands.
Its habitat is predominantly that of wet or dry forests, often in second growth or in thickets, mainly in low and medium altitude coastal areas but sometimes up to about 1,200 meters of altitude.

Description –
Annona purpurea is a deciduous, medium-small tree, which reaches a maximum of 6-10 meters in height.
The trunk grows to about 45 cm in diameter, has light brown-greyish, fissured bark and spreading crown; the young branches are covered by a dense tomentum of a ferruginous colour.
The leaves are hairy, carried by a short petiole, they are alternate, simple, elliptic or oval with wavy edges and pointed apex, 20-30 cm long and 10-14 cm broad, with prominent veins on the lower page.
The very fragrant flowers appear on the branches at the same time as the leaves; they are solitary, perfumed, with a corolla formed by six purple-pink petals, of which three internal ones 2,5 cm long and three external ones 5 cm long, very fleshy.
The fruit is a rounded syncarp, 15 to 20 centimeters wide, and covered by a green-brown skin with a felty consistency which is difficult to open when ripe; the pulp is orange in color with a fibrous consistency and an aroma reminiscent of certain varieties of mango.
The surface of the fruit has hooked protrusions. Inside are dispersed numerous elliptical seeds, compressed, about 3 cm long, of a brown to black colour.

Cultivation –
Annona purpurea is a tree that produces edible fruits that are often collected in the wild. It is often considered of mediocre quality, and therefore not very popular, because it is quite hard on the outside, however it is occasionally cultivated for its fruit in the gardens of its native range.
This plant is typical of the warm, lowland tropics, where it is found at altitudes of up to 1,200 meters. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are between 22-30°C, but can tolerate 17-35°C.
Adult plants can be killed by temperatures of -1°C or lower, but the vegetation of the year is seriously damaged already at 0°C.
The plants prefer an average annual rainfall of between 1,000 and 3,000 mm, but tolerate between 700 and 5,000 mm and grow best in a sunny position.
From a soil point of view, it prefers a moist, moderately fertile, sandy substrate with a pH in the range of 5.5 – 6.5, tolerating 5 – 7.
The trees take 1 to 3 years to develop and can be grown in containers.
This plant reproduces almost exclusively by seed, which germinates in a variable period of 1-6 months and has a germinability of a few months, advising, among other things, an initial scarification before sowing; this is to be done in a fertile substratum, rich in organic substance with the addition of sand or perlite, kept humid, at a temperature of 22-24 °C; germination takes place after 3-4 weeks and the first flowering from the fifth or sixth year of age.
The species, as mentioned, is little cultivated due to the production of fruits, of inferior quality to that of other species of Annona, is at times utilized, due to the dense crown and the decorative foliage, as ornamental and for shade in parks and gardens, moreover, its cultivation is limited to tropical and subtropical areas.

Customs and Traditions –
Annona purpurea was identified for the first time by the botanists José Mariano Mociño and Martín Sessé during the botanical exploration to the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1787-1803) sent by King Charles III. Mociño y Sessé’s work is in the collections of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, which contains illustrations of the Annona purpurea flower by Mociño y Sessé.
Among its common names we remember: soncoya, negro head (English); atier, corossol coeur de boeuf, pomme-canelle rouge, téte de negre (French); anona rosada, cabeza de negro, cabezona, catiguire, chincua, chincuya, gallina gorda, guanábana torete, llama, manire, manirote, matacuy, soncoya, soncoyo, toreta, tucuria, turagua (Spanish); cabeça-de-negro-vermelha (Portuguese).
These fruits were eaten by Native Americans and formed part of the diet of the inhabitants of the region.
This plant is particularly abundant in the areas called El Palmar del Orinoco, in Anzoategui, Venezuela, where it grows wild. With an extraordinary aroma and a weight of about 1-2 kg, it represents a delicious food for the inhabitants of that area.
Even today the fruits are consumed locally, as they are or in the form of juice, and have a flavor reminiscent of mango; the seeds are not edible as they contain toxic substances. The wood is used in rural construction and paper production. All parts of the plant, already used in traditional medicine, contain numerous bioactive substances of considerable interest in various fields of medicine; the pulverized seeds are used as insecticides.
The fruits are sometimes sold in local markets.
In its medicine, the juice of the fruit is considered a remedy for fever, chills and jaundice. Its use in treating jaundice is most likely based on its color rather than its effectiveness.
A decoction of the inner bark is effective against dysentery and edema.
In Mexico the nectar is considered a remedy for fever and chills.
Among other uses, it should be remembered that the seed extracts destroy fleas, are poisonous and can be used as an insecticide.

Method of Preparation –
Annona purpurea is a plant that has long been used as a food and medicinal plant.
In edible use, the fruits are consumed both raw and transformed into juice.
The pulp is abundant, has a pleasant, aromatic taste and has a taste similar to mango.
In medicinal use, a decoction of the inner part of the bark is prepared which is effective against dysentery and edema.
The seeds of the plant, which are not edible, are also used as insecticides.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/137076743/original.jpeg

Attention: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; we therefore decline all responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.