Guyabano
Annona muricata · Soursop
- Names in the book
- Guanábano, Goyabano, Sp.-Fil.
- Used for
- Diarrhea and dysentery
- Colours
- flowergreenish-yellowfruitgreen
- Native range
- Tropical Americas
- In the Philippines, per the book
- All three species are common in all parts of the Archipelago.
- Family
- Annonaceae, filed in the book under Anonaceæ
- Printed as
- Anona muricata, L.
- Sources
- Page 22 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Soursop (also called graviola, guyabano, and in Hispanic America guanábana) is the fruit of Annona muricata, a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree. It is native to the tropical Americas and is widely propagated. It is in the same genus, Annona, as cherimoya and is in the Annonaceae family. The soursop is adapted to areas of high humidity and relatively warm winters; temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F) will cause damage to leaves and small branches, and temperatures below 3 °C (37 °F) can be fatal. The fruit becomes dry and is no longer good for concentrate.
Excerpt from “Soursop” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Ang guyabano, guayabano, guwayabano o guwebano (Ingles: soursop) ay isang uri ng prutas o puno na may bilugang mga bunga.
Sipi mula sa “Guyabano” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 334 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 38 provinces, most often Zamboanga del Norte (134), Agusan del Sur (20), Iloilo (18), Davao del Sur (10), Benguet (9), Nueva Ecija (9), Cebu (8), Guimaras (8), and 30 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The ripe fruit possesses antiscorbutic properties; the unripe fruit is used in treating dysentery. It is said that the ripe fruit is used in diseases of the liver.
Botanical description
Tree with leaves oval, alternate and glabrous. Flower solitary, terminal, whitish. The fruit is much larger than that of the other species, is covered with scales that end in a soft point or thorn and has a very pronounced acid taste.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Biosynthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles mediated Annona muricata as cytotoxic and apoptosis inducer factor in breast cancer cell lines
- Pharmacological Activities of Soursop (Annona muricata Lin.)
- A Review on Annona muricata and Its Anticancer Activity