Rollinia deliciosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Biribá |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Annona
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| Species: |
mucosa
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| Synonyms | |
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The Biribá (scientific name: Annona mucosa) is a special type of flowering plant. It belongs to the custard-apple family, called Annonaceae. This tree originally comes from warm, tropical parts of South America. People grow it all over the world in tropical and subtropical areas. They love its tasty fruits, which are also known as lemon meringue pie fruit or wild sugar-apple.
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Biribá's Many Names
The name biribá comes from Brazil and is quite famous. But this fruit has other cool names too! Some people call it the wild sugar apple. Another name you might hear is aratiku.
About the Biribá Tree
The Biribá tree grows quickly. It loves the sun and can even handle floods. Its leaves can grow up to 35 cm long. This tree can reach a height of 4–15 m (13–49 ft). It can start growing fruit from a seed in just three years!
The Biribá Fruit
The fruit itself is big. It can be shaped like a cone or be round. When it's not ready to eat, it's green. As it ripens, it turns yellow. The outside of the fruit has soft bumps or spines. These can easily get bruised and turn black when handled. This makes the fruit look a bit unappealing.
Because it bruises easily and doesn't last long (less than a week!), it's not grown much for stores. However, many people love to grow it in their own gardens in tropical places.
What Does Biribá Taste Like?
The inside of the fruit is very soft and sweet. Many people say it tastes a bit like a lemon meringue pie! Some people absolutely love the flavor. Others find it good, but not amazing. Most people eat the fruit fresh, right out of their hand. Some chefs have used it in cooking. In Brazil, people have even made wine from Biribá.
How Biribá Plants Grow
Biribá trees are usually grown from seeds. These seeds can stay good for up to two years if kept dry and in the dark. It's also possible to grow new trees by air-layering or grafting. These methods help keep special types of Biribá the same.
Biribá Varieties
When grafting, people sometimes use other trees like Annona montana or Annona glabra as the base. This can make the Biribá tree grow smaller. Not much work has been done to find the very best types of Biribá. So, there's a lot of natural difference between them.
One of the most well-known types is called 'Regnard'. It was brought to the Philippines in 1917. The biggest Biribá fruit is 'biribá do Alto Solimoes'. This type was grown in Brazil. It can weigh up to 4 kg! This makes it one of the largest fruits in the Annona family. Only the junglesop and the soursop are usually bigger.
Other Uses for Biribá
The wood from the Biribá tree is very strong and lasts a long time. Because of this, it's good for building boats.
See also
In Spanish: Anón amazónico para niños
