Pond apple
Annona glabra
family
Annonaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
Category 3 Restricted Matter (Biosecurity Act 2014)
Must not be distributed or disposed. This means it must not be released into the environment unless the distribution or disposal is authorised in a regulation or under a permit.
Common names
Pond apple, Alligator apple, Bobwood, Bullock's heart, Corkwood, Custard apple, Monkey apple.
A small tree with greyish bark and a trunk that sometimes becomes butressed at. Its base some or all of its glossy green leaves (7-15 cm long and up to 6 cm across) turn yellow and drop off during the dry season. Its leathery flowers (2-6 cm across) are pale yellow or cream with a reddish centre. Its very large rounded fruit (5-15 cm across) turn from green to yellowish as they mature.
Impact
Impact
Pond apple (Annona glabra) is a Weed of National Significance (WoNS), and is regarded as one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasiveness, potential for spread, and economic and environmental impacts. It is a very hardy and aggressive tree that forms dense thickets and has the ability to grow in flooded areas and tolerate salt water. This species gradually replaces everything else in the canopy layer and can totally transform native rainforest and mangrove vegetation. It also competes with ferns, grasses, shrubs and sedges in the understorey, and prevents the regeneration of overstorey species. This creates an undesirable habitat for wildlife by replacing the plants that they rely of for food, breeding sites and shelter.Unlike many other environmental weeds, pond apple (Annona glabra) can invade and transform undisturbed areas. It can germinate in semi-shaded conditions, where its seedlings lie dormant until a gap in the canopy is created. It can also act as a pioneering plant and will opportunistically invade areas after disturbance events such as cyclones and floods.Pond apple (Annona glabra) is currently only a problem in Queensland, where it infests more than 2000 hectares of the wet tropics bioregion in the far north of the state. It is mainly found between Ingham to Cooktown, but has also been recorded as far south as Townsville and as far north as Horn Island in the Torres Strait. Major infestations occur in the Murray, Tully, Johnstone, Russell and Mulgrave catchments, and in lowland areas in the Daintree and Cooktown regions.Though pond apple (Annona glabra) it is currently restricted to northern Queensland, it is of concern throughout much of northern and eastern Australia. Predictive modelling has suggested that it has the potential to spread throughout the coastal regions of tropical and sub-tropical Australia, including the Gulf of Carpentaria river systems, the wetland areas of the Northern Territory (e.g. Kakadu National Park), and the coastal strip from of Queensland from Cape York south to Bundaberg. Infestations have most commonly been found in rainforest areas and along creeks, river banks and floodplains. However, it is also relatively common in wetlands (e.g. melaleuca and pandanus swamps and sedgelands), estuarine areas and mangrove communities.Pond apple (Annona glabra) is already known to have invaded 14 protected areas and 10 Wetlands of National Significance within northern Queensland, and is considered by some to be the most serious weed threat to the wet tropics bioregion. In particular, melaleuca wetlands and looking-glass mangrove (Heritiera littoralis) communities seem to be most at risk. Dense infestations can result in the replacement of mature stands of melaleuca with a monoculture of this weed, and a number of wetland areas and rare plant communities are considered to be threatened by this species. Many of these infested ecosystems are also habitat for rare and threatened flora and fauna, including several endangered orchids and the vulnerable ant plant (Myrmecodia beccarii).
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
Pond apple (Annona glabra) is a Weed of National Significance (WoNS), and is regarded as one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasiveness, potential for spread, and economic and environmental impacts. It is a very hardy and aggressive tree that forms dense thickets and has the ability to grow in flooded areas and tolerate salt water. This species gradually replaces everything else in the canopy layer and can totally transform native rainforest and mangrove vegetation. It also competes with ferns, grasses, shrubs and sedges in the understorey, and prevents the regeneration of overstorey species. This creates an undesirable habitat for wildlife by replacing the plants that they rely of for food, breeding sites and shelter.Unlike many other environmental weeds, pond apple (Annona glabra) can invade and transform undisturbed areas. It can germinate in semi-shaded conditions, where its seedlings lie dormant until a gap in the canopy is created. It can also act as a pioneering plant and will opportunistically invade areas after disturbance events such as cyclones and floods.Pond apple (Annona glabra) is currently only a problem in Queensland, where it infests more than 2000 hectares of the wet tropics bioregion in the far north of the state. It is mainly found between Ingham to Cooktown, but has also been recorded as far south as Townsville and as far north as Horn Island in the Torres Strait. Major infestations occur in the Murray, Tully, Johnstone, Russell and Mulgrave catchments, and in lowland areas in the Daintree and Cooktown regions.Though pond apple (Annona glabra) it is currently restricted to northern Queensland, it is of concern throughout much of northern and eastern Australia. Predictive modelling has suggested that it has the potential to spread throughout the coastal regions of tropical and sub-tropical Australia, including the Gulf of Carpentaria river systems, the wetland areas of the Northern Territory (e.g. Kakadu National Park), and the coastal strip from of Queensland from Cape York south to Bundaberg. Infestations have most commonly been found in rainforest areas and along creeks, river banks and floodplains. However, it is also relatively common in wetlands (e.g. melaleuca and pandanus swamps and sedgelands), estuarine areas and mangrove communities.Pond apple (Annona glabra) is already known to have invaded 14 protected areas and 10 Wetlands of National Significance within northern Queensland, and is considered by some to be the most serious weed threat to the wet tropics bioregion. In particular, melaleuca wetlands and looking-glass mangrove (Heritiera littoralis) communities seem to be most at risk. Dense infestations can result in the replacement of mature stands of melaleuca with a monoculture of this weed, and a number of wetland areas and rare plant communities are considered to be threatened by this species. Many of these infested ecosystems are also habitat for rare and threatened flora and fauna, including several endangered orchids and the vulnerable ant plant (Myrmecodia beccarii).
