Pond apple
Annona glabra L.
Bình bát (Annona glabra), also called pond apple or alligator apple, is a small Annona tree of swamps and wetlands that tolerates brackish water; its heart-shaped, yellow, edible fruit is aromatic and mildly sour, eaten fresh, in sour soup or as jam.
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Pond apple — Fruit (edible product)Pond apple — Tree
Pond apple — Leaves
Pond apple — Flower
Pond apple — Fruit on branch
Pond apple — Waterside tree (swamp habitat)Pond apple — Fruit (edible product)Pond apple — TreeOverview
Bình bát (Annona glabra L.), also called pond apple, alligator apple or swamp apple, is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree of the custard-apple family (Annonaceae), 3–12 m tall, native to tropical American wetlands (Florida, the Caribbean, Central and South America) and West Africa, and now introduced in parts of Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and Australia. It favours waterlogged ground, growing along ponds, marshes and riverbanks and tolerating brackish and salt water — hence ‘pond apple’. The leaves are alternate, oblong to ovate, smooth and glossy with pointed tips.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/10/2026
Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils, with thick greenish-yellow outer petals and creamy inner petals, lightly fragrant. The fruit is a heart-shaped to oval aggregate 7–15 cm long, with a smooth, glossy skin turning yellow at maturity; the orange-yellow flesh is soft, aromatic and mildly sweet-sour, and encloses many flat brown (inedible) seeds. In Vietnam the ripe fruit is eaten fresh (often sugared because it is a little astringent), cooked in the Mekong Delta’s signature sour soup, or made into jam; the tree is also used as a rootstock for soursop thanks to its tolerance of waterlogging. Outside its native range it is regarded as an invasive species.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/10/2026
Life cycle
From seed to productTree
A small waterside tree 3–12 m with an open crown.
Leaves
Alternate, oblong to ovate, smooth glossy leaves.
Flower
Solitary flower with greenish-yellow outer and creamy inner petals.
Fruit
Heart-shaped fruit with glossy skin turning yellow, aromatic mildly sour flesh.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- Florida (Everglades) & southeastern USA20%
- Caribbean & Central America20%
- Tropical South America (incl. Brazil)25%
- Tropical West Africa10%
- Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Australia (introduced/invasive)25%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Water78%
- Sugars9%
- Fibre6%
- Vitamin C & minerals (K, Mg)3%
- Acetogenins (annonacin…) & polyphenols2%
- Protein & lipids2%
Uses
- Food: ripe fruit eaten fresh (often sugared as it is slightly astringent), cooked in the Mekong Delta's signature 'canh chua bình bát' sour soup, made into jam or smoothies
- Agriculture: used as a waterlogging-tolerant rootstock for soursop/sugar apple; planted along canals and ponds to check bank erosion
- Folk medicine: in some countries the leaves and seeds are used traditionally (antibacterial, anti-diarrhoeal, insecticidal); contains acetogenins requiring caution
- Landscape & environment: a waterside tree giving shade and shelter for birds and fish; however, it is invasive outside its native range and should be planted with care
Properties
- Form
- Small wetland tree
- Product
- Edible fruit (fresh, jam, sour soup); light wood; rootstock
- Hallmark
- Heart-shaped fruit; tolerates flooding and salt
- Uses
- Food, propagation rootstock, erosion control
Habitat & conservation
Pond apple grows on permanently waterlogged ground: swamps, ponds, canal and riverbanks, estuaries and flooded melaleuca forests, tolerating brackish and salt water and preferring full sun. Native to Florida (the Everglades), the Caribbean, tropical Central–South America and West Africa; introduced and naturalised in parts of Southeast Asia (including southern Vietnam), Sri Lanka, India and eastern Australia, sometimes becoming invasive.
Conservation
Not individually assessed by IUCN, but widespread in its native range and spreading where introduced; not threatened, regarded as Least Concern (LC). Note: it is treated as invasive in Sri Lanka and Australia. Custard-apple family (Annonaceae), genus Annona.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Annona glabra L. — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Annona glabra (Pond apple) — description, distribution, uses — Wikipedia tiếng Anh, 2026
- 3Bình bát (Annona glabra) — Wikipedia tiếng Việt — Wikipedia tiếng Việt, 2026
- 4圆滑番荔枝 Annona glabra — 形态、分布与利用 — Wikipedia tiếng Trung, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Daniel Di Palma (CC BY-SA 4.0); Pancrat (CC BY-SA 3.0); paulsmithrj (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Stolz Gary M / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public domain) — quả — Wikimedia Commons,