ANONACEAE, the custard-apple family, an important group of dicotyledonous plants allied to the magnolias (q.v.). They are chiefly tropical shrubs and trees and comprise about 8o genera and 82o species. The leaves are simple, entire and alternate; the flowers are regular, usually with 3 sepals and 6 petals, the latter brown or tawny yellow, not showy ; the stamens numerous ; and the fruit an aggregation of berries (syncarp) in which the seeds are embedded or dry or capsular. Many species are grown for their edible fruits, for perfume, and for ornament. A few extend into temperate regions, as the North American pawpaw (Asimina tri loba), found northward to New York and Michigan. Many valuable fruits belong to the genus Anona; among these are the cherimoya (A. Cherimola), of the American tropics, now cultivated in the southern United States; the custard-apple or bullock's heart (A. reticulata), of tropical America; the sugar-apple, sweet sop or ate (A. squamosa), cultivated throughout the Tropics; the soursop or guandbana (A. tnuricata) ; widely grown in tropical lands; the ilama (A. diversifolia) of Mexico and Guatemala; the alligator-apple, or cork-wood (A. glabra), of tropical America; and the posh-te (A. scleroderma), of Guatemala and Mexico. The biribd (Rollinsia deliciosa) and related species are highly esteemed fruits from Brazil to Central America. A tree (Porcelia Saf fordiana), recently discovered in Bolivia, bears immense fruits sometimes attaining 4o lb. weight. The ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata), native to the East Indies, is the source of the famous perfume of Malaysia and the Philippines. The exceedingly fra grant climbing ylang-ylang (Artabotrys odoratissima), native to India, China and the Philippines, is sparingly planted in southern Florida. (See CHERIMOYA; CUSTARD-APPLE; SWEET-SOP.)