[6] Annona squamosa is a small, well-branched tree or shrub[7] from the family Annonaceae that bears edible fruits called sugar apples or sweetsops.

[11] It is native of tropical climate in the Americas and West Indies, and Spanish traders aboard the Manila galleons docking in the Philippines brought it to Asia.

[12] The fruit is spherical-conical, 5–10 centimetres (2–4 inches) in diameter and 6–10 cm (2+1⁄4–4 in) long, and weighing 100–240 grams (3.5–8.5 ounces), with a thick rind composed of knobby segments.

The hard, shiny seeds may number 20–40 or more per fruit and have a brown to black coat, although varieties exist that are almost seedless.

[6] Thin, simple, alternate leaves[11] occur singly,[6] 5 to 17 centimetres (2 to 6+3⁄4 inches) long and 2 to 6 cm (3⁄4 to 2+3⁄8 in) wide;[10][6] rounded at the base and pointed at the tip (oblong-lanceolate).

[22] Bayer AG has patented the extraction process and molecular identity of the annonaceous acetogenin annonin, as well as its use as a biopesticide, although this use has not been approved by US or EU authorities.

[citation needed] Annona squamosa is native to the tropical Americas and West Indies, but the exact origin is unknown.

It is now the most widely cultivated of all the species of Annona, being grown for its fruit throughout the tropics and warmer subtropics, such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and China as far north as Suzhou;[26] it was introduced to southern Asia before 1590.

It is naturalized as far north as southern Florida in the United States and as far south as Bahia in Brazil, and is an invasive species in some areas.

It will grow from sea level to an altitude of 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) and thrives in hot dry climates, differing in its tolerance of lowland tropics from many of the other fruit bearers in the Annona family.

Natural pollinators include beetles (coleoptera) of the families Nitidulidae, Staphylinidae, Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae and Scarabaeidae.

In traditional Indian, Thai, and Native American medicines, the leaves are boiled down with water, possibly mixed with other specific botanicals, and used in a decoction to treat dysentery and urinary tract infection.