The cawesh, also known as Annona scleroderma or Poshe-te, is one of the most uncommon Annonas.
It produces a fruit that is the size of an orange with a dull green surface appearance. The fruit is said to be the most delicious of all Annona’s. It has a soft texture and a delicious banana-pineapple-like flavor.
It is unremarkable in appearance, has tough skin making it easy to handle and perhaps more importantly resistant to insects, and features a pulp that is not fibrous – this is unlike other Annona’s.
Despite just how delicious it is, it is still largely unknown and elusive outside its native region. This largely includes the Atlantic slope of Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras.
The caswesh is a tall tree, reaching 15 – 20 m. Its fruit may be soft, but its leaves have a tough exterior that measures 10-25 x 5-8 cm. The flowers have a greenish-yellow appearance.
It is best if the cashew tree is pruned, as this is most conducive to fruit harvesting, as well as limiting exposure to wind and bird damage.
A newly planted tree will take approximately four years until it produces any fruit at which point it would have grown to 4-6 m.