Foliage is alternate, dull green on top and pale green on the underside. Crushed leaves have an aromatic scent, as do the fragrant flowers which may be single or in clusters of 2-4. They are yellow-green with a pale yellow interior borne off of long drooping stalks. No one is exactly sure where sugar apples hail from, but they are commonly cultivated in tropical South America, southern Mexico, the West Indies, Bahamas and Bermuda. Cultivation is most extensive in India and is wildly popular in the interior of Brazil.

The fruit of the sugar apple tree is eaten out of hand, separating the fleshy segments from the outer peel and spitting the seeds out. In some countries, the pulp is pressed to eliminate the seeds and then added to ice cream or combined with milk for a refreshing beverage. Sugar apples are never used cooked. The seeds of the sugar apple are poisonous, as are the leaves and bark. In fact, powdered seeds or dried fruit has been used as a fish poison and insecticide in India. A seed paste has also been used pasted on the scalp to rid people of lice. The oil derived from the seeds has also been used as a pesticide.