ABSTRACT
Bauhin knew these wetland herbs from cultivation in Europe in 1623. Marggraf and Piso reported them in eastern Brazil in 1648. Hans Sloane later recorded the plant in Jamaica in 1696. Thus, the plants had been in Europe a long time when Linnaeus finally gave them their name in 1753. Now, there are seven species in tropical America. In a range like that of Annona glabra, these herbs also reappear in western tropical Africa (Mabberley 1997).
