Ilama - Annona macroprophyllata
Annona diversifolia fruit
Fig. 1
Annona diversifolia

Annona macroprophyllata Donn.Sm.
Fig. 2 magnifying glass

Flower
Fig. 3
Ilama flower

Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Chiapas, México.
Fig. 4 magnifying glass
Ilama A. macroprophyllata, Chiapas, México

Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Chiapas, México
Fig. 5 magnifying glass
Chiapas, México

Leaves and flowers
Fig. 6
Diversifolia means diverse leaves, different shapes

Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Mexico
Fig. 7 magnifying glass
Ilama, Mexico

Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Guerrero, Mexico
Fig. 8 magnifying glass
Ilama A. macroprophyllata, Guerrero, Mexico

Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Juárez, Mich., México.
Fig. 9 magnifying glass
Red ilama, Juárez, Mich., México.

Fruit
Fig. 10

Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Mexico
Fig. 11 magnifying glass
Ilama A. macroprophyllata, Mexico

Ilama madura lista para comer
Fig. 12
Ilama madura lista para comer
Ripe ilama ready to eat


Scientific name
Annona macroprophyllata Donn. Sm.
Pronunciation
an-nona di-ver-si-fo-lia
Common names
English: ilama; Mexico: ilama, izlama, illamatzopotl (translated as zapote de las viejas, or "old woman's sapote"), hilama, and papuasa; Guatemala: blanca or papauce; in El Salvador, anona blanca 1
Synonyms
A. diversifolia Safford
Relatives
Sugar apple (A. squamosa), cherimoya (A. cherimola), soursop (A. muricata), custard apple (A. reticulata), pond apple (A. glabra), atemoya (Annona cherimola x A. squamosa)
Family
Annonaceae (annona family)
Origin
Indigenous in the mountains and foothills of southwestern Mexico, Guatemala, and Salvador
Uses
Food
Height
25 ft (7.5 m)
Plant habit
Erect or spreading
Trunk/bark/branches
Often branching from the ground; aromatic, pale brownish-gray, furrowed bark 1
Leaves
Deciduous; glossy; thin, elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate; 2-6 in (5-15 cm) long 1
Flower
Solitary; long stalked; maroon
Fruit
Conical, heart-shaped or ovoid globose; 6in. (15 cm), weighing as much as 2 pounds
Season
July to Dec. 1
Light requirement
Young trees need partial shade; older trees prefer full sun
Soil tolerances
In Florida it performs better on deep sand than on oolitic limestone 1
pH preference
7-8, tolerating 5.8-8.4 7
Cold tolerance

30-32 °F (-1-0 °C) most cold sensitive of the Annonas
Invasive potential *
None reported
Pest resistance
Not as susceptible to the chalcid fly as are its more popular relatives in Florida 1
Known hazard
None known



Reading Material

Annona diversifolia, Neglected Crops
The Annona diversifolia, Archives of the Rare Fruit Council of Australia
Ilama, Fruits of Warm Climates
The Ilama, Manual Of Tropical And Subtropical Fruits



Taxonomic Swap
Annona diversifolia replaced with Annona macroprophyllata. Committed 5 Apr. 2020. 6

Note:
This member of the Annonaceae was little known and the subject of much confusion until 1911, when it was investigated and fully described by W. E. Safford, of the United States Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industry, and given the botanical name of Annona diversifolia Safford. 1

Origin

Indigenous in the mountains and foothills of southwestern Mexico, Guatemala, and Salvador.

Description
The ilama may be termed the cherimoya of the lowlands. The cherimoya does not succeed in the tropics unless grown at elevations of 4000 to 6000 feet, where the climate is cool. The ilama, on the other hand, belongs to the lowlands, but is strikingly similar in character to a good cherimoya. It is a valuable recruit and one which cannot be too strongly recommended for cultivation throughout the tropics. 5
The ilama is highly regarded in its Central American homeland and is grown on a limited basis in south Florida. The thick rind reportedly limits attacks by the chalcid wasp- the bane of Annona growers in south Florida. 8

Leaves
A. diversifolia is distinguished from other species of Annona in that it has two classes of leaf: the usual obovate, glabrous leaves with a petiole; and leaves in the form of round, deciduous bracts without a petiole, which grow on the base of the small branches (Fig. 6). The undersides of the leaves, small branches and fruit have a powdery, whitish appearance, which is more noticeable in the white-fleshed varieties. 2
Young leaves are reddish/purple (Fig. 6).

Flowers
The flowers have three outer petals that are 2 to 5 cm long, and three minute inner petals; the color is a varietal characteristic and ranges from pink to purplish red. 2
The inner petals are pollenbearing. In Florida, the ilama flowers in July.

Fruit
Generally, the fruit is studded with more or less pronounced, triangular protuberances, though fruits on the same tree may vary from rough to fairly smooth. The rind, pale-green to deep-pink or purplish, is coated with a dense, velvety gray-white bloom. It is about ¼ in (6 mm) thick, leathery, fairly soft and granular. In green types, the flesh is white and sweet; in the pink types, it is pink-tinged near the rind and around the seeds, all-pink or even deep-rose, and tart in flavor. It is somewhat fibrous but smooth and custardy near the rind; varies from dryish to fairly juicy, and contains 25 to 80 hard, smooth, brown, cylindrical seeds, 3/4 in (2 cm) long, 3/8 in (1 cm) wide, each enclosed in a close-fitting membrane easily slipped off when split. 1

Varieties
'Fairchild', 'Rosendo Pérez', 'Guillermo' and 'Gramajo' have a thick-skinned, greyish green fruit with prominent round areoles and pink flesh. 'Rosendo Peréz' and 'Gramajo' have big fruit. (These cultivars have been bred for Florida.) 2

Harvesting
Traditionally, the fruits are not picked until they have begun to crack open, but they can be picked a little earlier and held up to 3 days to soften. They will not ripen if harvested too early. 1

Propagation
Ilama seeds, taken from ripe fruits, remain dormant for several weeks or even months and the germination rate thereafter is low. Applications of gibberellic acid at 350 ppm greatly increases germination. Higher concentrations cause malformations in the seedlings. Whip-or cleft-grafting onto custard apple (A. reticulata) rootstocks has been successful. Seedlings begin to bear when 3 to 5 years old. 1

Video: 9:56
Grafting annonas, cleft graft v1

Grafting Annonas in Southern Florida, Hort Science pdf

Pests
The Ilama is not as susceptible to the chalcid fly as are its more popular relatives in Florida. The fruit is very resistant and sometimes completely immune to attack from seed-boring insects. 2

Food Uses
The ilama fruit is either eaten on the half-shell or scooped out with a tool. The Ilama is usually chilled when served. It is sometimes served with a little cream and sugar to intensify the flavor, or with a drop of lime. 3

General
Mr. Har Mahdeem, popular horticultural circuit speaker and authority on Annonaceae says the best conditions to produce one of the best fruit in the annonacea family, the Ilama, requires hot and dry summer followed in late July-August by a rainy period. Conditions, he says, rarely seen in South Florida. He recommended, should we try to grow one, grafted varieties on pond apple rootstock: 'Guillermo', 'Fairchild', 'Genova Red', 'Genova White' and 'Pajapita'. On propagation, he recommended cleaning the seeds and storing them at room temperature, dry condition, for 9-10 months. The rate of success is very much increased.
Tip: Scratch the bark of a limb; if it is red, you will have a pink fleshed Ilama, if green, it will be a white variety. Also, if the new growth is red, it will be a pink fleshed variety.
Mr. Mahdeem says the fruit is not fully ripe until it cracks open on the tree. Left on a counter, it will reseal itself and that is how they are sold at market. 

Other Edibles in the Annona genus:

Atemoya (A. squamosa x A. cherimola)
Biriba (Rollinia mucosa, A. mucosa)
Cherimoya (A. cherimola)
Custard Apple (A. reticulata)
Mountain Soursop (A. montana)
Pond Apple (A. glabra)
Poshte (A. scleroderma)
Soursop (A. muricata)
Sugar apple (A. squamosa)


List of Growers and Vendors


Bibliography

1 Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, 1987.
2 Mahdeem, H. "Custard Apples." Neglected crops: 1492 from a different perspective, FAO Plant Production and Protection Series, no. 26. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1994, FAO, fao.org. Accessed 26 Dec. 2015.
3 "Annona diversifolia." Wikipedia, wikipedia.org. Accessed 3 Jan. 2015.
4 "Annona diversifolia." Top Tropicals, toptropicals.com. Accessed 11 Mar. 2015.
5 Popenoe, Wilson. Manual Of Tropical And Subtropical Fruits. 1920, London, Hafner Press, 1974.
6 "Annona macroprophyllata Donn.Sm." Plants of the World Online, Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, POWO, (CC BY 3.0), www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:14297-2. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
7 "Annona diversifolia." Ecocrop, Useful Tropical Plants Database, 30, July 2021, (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0), tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Annona+diversifolia. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
8 Boning, Charles R. Florida's Best Fruiting Plants- Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Sarasota, Pineapple Press, 2006.

Videos

v1 "How to Graft Annona Fruit Trees Using Cleft Graft - Grafting Dream Cherimoya, Atemoya, etc." Sulcata Grove, 26 Feb. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Xy-rZQmdg. Accessed 23 July 2021.

Photographs

Fig. 1 Bronson, Eric. "Ilama." I likE plants!, 2009, Wikipedia, wikipedia.org. Accessed 15 Dec. 2014.
Fig. 2,6,10 "Annona macroprophyllata Donn.Sm." Plants of the World Online, Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, POWO, (CC BY 3.0), www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:14297-2. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
Fig. 3 "Annona diversifolia." Top Tropicals, toptropicals.com. Accessed 3 Jan. 2015.
Fig. 4 Vera, Daniel Pineda. "Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Chiapas, México." iNaturalist, Research Grade, 23 May 2018, (CC BY 4.0), www.inaturalist.org/observations/12754591. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
Fig. 5 Vásquez, Natividad Santiago. "Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Chiapas, México." iNaturalist, Research Grade, 6 July 2021, (CC BY 4.0), Image cropped, www.inaturalist.org/observations/85992570. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
Fig. 7,11 Rivera, Luis Humberto Vicente. "Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Mexico." iNaturalist, Research Grade, 3 Aug. 2020, (CC BY 4.0), www.inaturalist.org/observations/55249540. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
Fig. 8 Fresnares, Oswaldo. "Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Guerrero, Mexico." iNaturalist, Research Grade, 30 Aug. 2017, (CC BY 4.0), Image cropped, www.inaturalist.org/observations/7720827. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
Fig. 9 wendy_ma. "Ilama Annona macroprophyllata, Juárez, Mich., México." iNaturalist, Research Grade, 1 Dec. 2019, (CC BY 4.0), Image cropped, www.inaturalist.org/observations/36277991. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
Fig. 12 miller, Edgar p. "Ilama madura lista para comer." Wikimedia Commons, 4 Mar. 2017, (CC BY-SA 4.0), commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IlamaSTB_6438.jpg. Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.

UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas

Published 15 Dec. 2014 LR. Last update 27 Aug. 2021 LR
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