A. reticulata

'Leon'

'San Pablo'

Origin story - "Laurence Zill, sometimes accompanied by his son Gary, collected red A. reticulata varieties in Belize and northern Guatemala in the mid-1980s. Varieties that were acquired were often named after the town or community where scions were obtained. These included 'Sarteneja' from the town of Sarteneja, 'Chonox,' 'Benque,' 'Canul,' and 'San Pablo,' all from Belize. Gary Zill later returned alone to northern Guatemala and collected the 'El Remate,' 'Tart,' and 'León,' named in honor of Dr. Jorge León, an eminent plant collector in Central America, who provided guidance."

Field notes - "'Benque', and 'Tikal' were not productive enough to promote, although they had vividly red flesh. 'Chonox' was not great tasting, but was a botanical curiosity as to the number of flowers per cluster."

Cultivar status - "'San Pablo' and 'Sarteneja' are still around, however many of the varieties mentioned no longer seem to exist in Florida partly because some were only used to breed with." - Har Mahdeem, February 2012, Tropical Fruit Forum

'San Pablo'

Flavor profile - One bite and you'll be hooked! This smooth, vibrant fruit is everything you want in a cultivar: rich yet light, sweet yet tangy. It's straightforward and approachable, but with an elegant complexity that keeps you coming back for more. No stone cells here — the texture is silky, not gritty. Sure it has plenty of seeds, but the pulp is so dreamy and fluffy, you wont even mind. This one's a true standout.

More Info - Produces two to three dozen fruit during the month of April. Individual fruits commonly weigh a pound and a half. Buckets of fermenting fruit underneath the tree may aid pollination, and a single tree can produce independently without cross pollination. Fungicide and pesticide treatments after fruit set can reduce the occurrence of anthracnose (black spot) and seed boring chalcid wasps.

'HAVANA'

Origin story - Ferries between Miami and Havana stopped by 1961 as a result of the bloody Cuban Revolution. A Cuban émigré, Genaro "Jimmy" Morales, fleeing the Castro regime brought these yellow custard apple seeds from a tree in Havana to Florida on one of the last ferries out of Cuba. Jimmy sowed the first generation of seeds at his family farm in Naples, Florida, and his family faithfully sowed successive generations of seeds. The 'Havana' mother tree was almost killed by winds from Hurricane Irma that knocked it down for the first time in September 2017, but the family nursed it back to full health. Upon its introduction to the nursery trade in 2020, Jimmy's granddaughter, Cecelia Morales, named the cultivar in honor of its storied history that began in Havana. In September 2022, Hurricane Ian blew the mother tree over a second time. Cecelia raised it again, and it prospered until Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, when the mother tree finally perished.

Flavor profile - Its smooth, bright yellow, orange, and red skin makes 'Havana' one of the most eye catching 🐲🥚s we have ever seen. Sought after for its perfectly creamy texture, the interior of the fruit contains little to no grit and a low seed count. Tasting notes include buttered rum and carrot cake. It's so delicious you'll even eat the fruit's skin!

Field notes - Flowers throughout the Summer with small pea-sized fruits beginning to appear in mid to late August. Trees drop all of their foliage and go through dormancy up until late April. Fruits should be protected with breathable nylon mesh bags as early as possible because they are susceptible to being bored by chalcid wasps at all stages of development. Fruits ripen primarily in the month of May. This variety is self fertile so hand pollination is not required and anthracnose spotting is uncommon.

Cultivar status - 'Havana' was released onto the market in 2020 thanks to the generosity of the Morales family.

Chalcid wasP Bephratelloides cubensis

Anthracnose spot fungus

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