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2. ANNONA L., Sp. Pl. 536. 1753.
Shrubs, trees, or lianas, glabrous or with simple to forked or stellate hairs. Flowers bisexual (rarely unisexual), single, paired, or in few-flowered inflorescences (rhipidia), these terminal, from the internodes, opposite the leaves, on branches, or cauline. Sepals 3, free or connate, triangular to discoidal, valvate; petals either 3 or 6 in 2 series, the outer fleshy, valvate, free or connate at the base, the inner valvate or imbricate, sometimes the inner series absent or rudimentary. Stamens numerous, locules not locellate; the connective produced into a terminal, dilated to truncate disk or hood-like process, rarely attenuate-apiculate or semi-orbicular; pollen in tetrads. Carpels numerous, usually free at anthesis; ovule 1, basal, erect. Fruit syncarpous, fleshy, globose, obovoid to oblong-ovoid, usually with an areolate to muricate or echinate surface, or smooth by complete fusion.
Southern U.S.A. (Florida), Mexico, Central America, West Indies, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, a few species in tropical Africa; ca. 130 species, 19 in Venezuela, 14 of these in the flora area.
Annona tenuiflora Mart. was cited for the Venezuelan Guayana by Fries (R. E. Fries in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 17aII: 149. 1959) based on Steyermark 57913 (S), a fruiting specimen from the southeastern base of Cerro Duida, Amazonas state. Another fruiting collection from the upper Río Orinoco, Croizat 267 (NY), appears to be the same as the Steyermark collection. It is likely that these specimens correspond instead to Rollinia cuspidata Mart., which has not yet been definitely recorded from Venezuela.
1. Flowers terminal or subterminal; leaves thick-coriaceous...A. sp. A
1. Flowers not exclusively terminal or subterminal, all or some of the flowers at the internodes of leafy twigs, on branches or the main stem; leaves membranous to subcoriaceous...2
2(1). Petals 3 (inner series absent), free...3
2. Petals 6, free or connate at the base...5
3(2). Leaves 2-colored, the lower surface glaucous, sparsely covered with minute, appressed hairs; inflorescences usually 2-, 3-, or more-flowered...A. hypoglauca
3. Leaves the same color on both surfaces, the lower surface with a dense cover of erect, forked to stellate (or occasionally simple) hairs; inflorescences 1-, 2-, or less often 3-flowered...4
4(3). Leaves elliptic to oblong, with 14--20 ferrugineous secondary veins per side; sepals 3--5 mm long, almost entirely connate; petals ferrugineous-sericeous outside...A. sericea
4. Leaves ovate to obovate, with 7--12 yellowish brown secondary veins per side; sepals ca. 10 mm long, mostly free; petals pale yellow, sparsely pubescent outside...A. jahnii
5(2). Outer petals connate at the base, the tips spreading; flowers mostly dark red...A. ambotay
5. Outer petals free; flower color various...6
6(5). Inner petals valvate...7
6. Inner petals imbricate...9
7(6). Leaves normally 40--70 cm long, with 15--22 secondary veins per side...A. gigantophylla
7. Leaves < 40 cm long, with < 15 secondary veins per side...8
8(7). Leaves lanceolate, the lower surface grass-green; outer petals 20--35 × 15--20 mm, inner ones 16 × 10 mm...A. glabra
8. Leaves elliptic to ovate, the lower surface glaucous; outer petals 7--8 × 5--7 mm, inner ones 4 × 3 mm; sepals connate at least half their length...A. symphyocarpa
9(6). Leaves with 20--25 secondary veins per side, 20--25 cm long, broadly obo-vate to elliptic-obovate; fruits with spines ca. 1 cm long...A. purpurea
9. Leaves with 5--10 secondary veins per side, usually < 25 cm long; fruits with tubercles or spines < 1 cm long...10
10(9). Outer petals triangular with an elongate apex, velvety-brown outside...A. sp. B
10. Outer petals broadly ovoid with a rounded to acute apex, tomentose outside...11
11(10). Leaves apically rounded to obtuse...A. atabapensis
11. Leaves apically acute to cuspidate...12
12(11). Flowers exclusively cauline; sepals completely fused into an entire disk 10--12 mm wide...A. trunciflora
12. Flowers cauline, on leafy twigs, or terminal on the same plant; sepals free...13
13(12). Outer petals gradually narrowed at the apex, cream-colored; fruits with small, erect prickles; leaf domatia between costa and secondary veins present in the form of pits; secondary veins 7--9 per side...A. montana
13. Outer petals distinctly acute, yellow; fruits with upwardly curved prickles; leaf domatia present in the form of pockets; secondary veins 5--7 per side; frequently cultivated...A. muricata