They’re of the same genus but definitely distinct from one another. They look pretty similar on the inside. Soursop is the same as guanábana. I used to get the juice from the Jamaican places in NY. Good stuff.
Right you are, thanks for the knowledge.
I used to get pop bottles of fresh sour sop juice when on vacation in Jamaica. You’re blissed out on the beach and some one comes along with a fresh bottle for sale.
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Have you been to Exotica Rare Fruit up in Vista? They had mangoes, loquats, guavas, persimmons, etc., etc., We bought a very thorny baby cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) there. One of our neighbours in San Diego had a relatively large lot, and he must have had forty or fifty different fruit trees, including mangoes. 
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My CSA farmer is planning to add these to the permaculture part of her operation. I’ve never had a pawpaw.
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Passion fruit is delicious and such a great flavor in anything.
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Agreed, cheromoya, soursop, custard apple, and sugar apple are in the same family but distinct. My favorite by far is sugar apple, or mẵng cầu in my wife’s Vietnamese, and for good ones I’d gladly pay $10 a pound. Jackfruit is my next favorite, if very ripe they have a sweetness and complexity similar to really good mangoes but with a more volatile tropical fruit aroma.
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I didn’t know of it. It sounds like a terrific place!
“Exotica resembles more of a jungle than your bog standard garden center, and it’s certainly got the variety of one. It’s a testament to the passion of the owner, given that he’s been collecting around the world and still has many connections. It’s not filled with delicately manicured specimens, but it lets the natural splendor of plants speak for themselves. There’s also a tasting table for stuff in season”
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That’s such a good idea…How about a wine and exotic fruit tasting!
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Exotica was able to source an Alphonso mango seedling for me a few years ago. It remains healthy and is ready go into the ground this winter.
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I have cousins/friends in Vista and Bonsall area so know the area pretty well. I would always try to stop by Exotica if I could. It is a bit of a jungle, but if you like plants (or fruit), it really is a treasure house.
I find the jungle aspect really appealing. I would probably want at least one of every plant.
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I grew up on the coast a little south of there but didn’t venture inland too much. The mention of plant jungle reminded me of Rosecroft Gardens. I grew up a few blocks away and went to at least one raging late night party in the old gardens. It was a really nice place.
Cool article–I love the Botanical Building in Balboa Park, so this background story is interesting. Some of my best friends live just downhill of the wooded area.
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PL is a special place.
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I just remembered the tomate de árbol (tomato tree) aka tamarillo that I got in Argentina. They come from the Andes in the far north of the country next to Bolivia. I would only see them two or maybe three weeks of the year.
Taste is kind of a cross between a ripe red tomato with mango and passion fruit. Not quite sweet nor savory. I bet they would be great in a chutney or a sauce. Some people told me they had the juice from them in places where they are more common. I imagine juicing them would take a lot of work!
I just noticed sees are available in the US although I have never seen the fruit sold here.
There are about 10,000 varieties of mango. I’ve got a young Alphonse mango tree—and a Valencia Pride—and hopefully will get some fruit next year. It’s my favorite fruit. I’ve had the tree a few years. It fruited this year but wind took them all. I should have bagged the fruit to protect it.
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I occasionally saw tamarillos in California, where it is warm enough for these to grow outdoors. Melissa’s sells them at a steep price. You can buy seeds from several sources, including Baker Creek. Trade Winds Fruit has multiple varieties of these solanums.
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