small tree or shrub of the custard apple, or Annonaceae, family. It has thin, oblong ovate leaves, solitary greenish flowers, and a yellowish green fruit resembling a shortened pinecone. The tuberculate fruit, the fusion of many ripened ovaries and the receptacle, is 7.5 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) in diameter and contains a sweet, creamy-yellow, custardlike pulp, which may be eaten raw. Native to the West Indies and tropical America, it has been widely introduced into the Eastern Hemisphere.