Annona mucosa Seeds | Rollinia Deliciosa

Dark brown Biriba seeds, smooth and bean-shaped, set in white fruit pulp — Biriba (*Annona mucosa*): Annonaceae, native to the Amazon basin and widely grown for its soft, custard-like fruit.

LATIN NAME: Annona mucosa

COMMON NAME: Biriba

Plant Profile

Biriba is a fast-growing tree of the custard-apple family, reaching five to fifteen metres with a straight trunk and large, glossy, drooping leaves. Its fruit is the reason it is grown: a heavy, yellow-green, knobbly syncarp, sometimes twenty centimetres across, whose white pulp tastes of lemon custard and is eaten with a spoon.

It comes from the Amazon basin and is cultivated from Brazil and Peru through the Guianas and into Central America and the Caribbean. The fruit softens quickly and bruises easily, which is why it is a market fruit in the tropics and almost unknown in export trade.

Science & Biotechnology

The species, long known as Rollinia deliciosa and now placed in Annona, belongs to a group of annonas whose fruit structure is unusual: the carpels remain separate and protrude as soft spines, giving the fruit its knobbly surface. The pulp is rich in sugars and in aromatic esters, and its flavour has been analysed as a blend of lemon, pineapple and cream notes.

Like other members of the family, biriba contains annonaceous acetogenins in its seeds and leaves. These compounds, among them rolliniastatin and rollimembrin, are cytotoxic and insecticidal, and they have been studied as anticancer leads; the fruit pulp itself does not contain them in significant amounts, but the seeds should never be eaten. Its wood is light and is used for crates and simple construction in the Amazon, though it is not durable.

Uses & Benefits

The pulp is eaten fresh, pressed into drinks, and used for ice cream and sorbet in Brazil and Peru. Because it is soft and perishable it is mostly a local fruit, sold in markets at the peak of its season and eaten within days.

The tree is also a useful shade and garden tree in the humid tropics, with a handsome crown and an unusual fruit that draws attention. The seeds and leaves have a place in Amazonian folk medicine, but the acetogenins they contain make home preparation unwise. In parts of Brazil the pulp is also frozen into a simple sorbet, which is the way most people meet the fruit.

Growing from Seed

Sow fresh seed, cleaned of pulp, in a loose, humus-rich mix at 25 to 30 °C. Germination is usually good and takes three to six weeks; seed that has dried out loses viability quickly, so sow as soon as the fruit is eaten.

Grow the seedlings in part shade and keep them moist but never waterlogged. Plant out in a frost-free, sheltered position with deep soil; the tree grows fast and may fruit in three to four years. It needs regular water in the dry season and protection from wind, which tears the large leaves. Mulch heavily to keep the shallow roots cool and to hold moisture through the dry season.

Our Take

A tropical fruit tree with a custard-textured crop and a fast, generous habit. It wants heat, water and shelter, and gives back fruit within a few years.

Tree Seeds