Cherimoya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cherimoya |
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| Cherimoya fruit | |
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A. cherimola
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| Annona cherimola |
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Cherimoya is a sweet fruit that comes mostly from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. The inside of a cherimoya is soft, and it is white in color. The skin of the cherimoya fruit is green when it is ripe, and brown if it becomes too ripe. The cherimoya has large, black seeds. They are poisonous, and should not be eaten, like the skin. The cherimoya is special because it can be grown in high places.
In India, especially in North India, this fruit is known as sitafal (named after Sita). In Sri Lanka it is known as "Wali Anoda (වැලි අනෝදා)"
Mark Twain called the cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men." The creamy texture of the flesh gives the fruit its secondary name, custard apple.
Description
Cherimoya is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 9 m (30 feet) tall. The flowers are produced in small clusters, each flower 2–3 cm across, with six petals, yellow-brown, often spotted purple at the base.
The fruit is oval, often slightly oblate, 10–20 cm long and 7–10 cm in diameter, with a smooth or slightly tuberculated skin. The fruit flesh is white and creamy, and has numerous dark brown seeds embedded in it. When ripe, the skin is green and gives slightly to pressure. Some characterize the fruit flavor as a blend of banana, pineapple, papaya, peach, and strawberry. The fruit can be chilled and eaten with a spoon, which has earned it another nickname, the ice cream fruit.
Images for kids
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Split cherimoya fruit
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Region of wild cherimoyas in Vilcabamba, Ecuador
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A wild cherimoya plant in Vilcabamba, Ecuador
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Cherimoya sprouts emerging
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Nitidulidae's beetle on cherimoya flower, Jundiaí, Brazil
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A cherimoya fruit, growing in a protective cover on a plantation in Bin Lang Village, Taiwan
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Plantation in south Andalucia
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Cherimoya seeds
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Cherimoya-shaped bottle made by the Cupisnique culture around 1000 to 700 BC on the coast of what is now Peru
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See also
In Spanish: Chirimoya para niños
