A pantropical but especially Old World family of woody plants, found in West Africa mainly as shrubs, lower-storey trees and lianes in forest. Only four species are recorded for Gambia, Hexalobus monopetalus and Annona senegalensis in savanna, A. glabra in coastal swamps, and Xylopia aethiopica in forest-savanna mosaic.

Members of the family may be recognised by their two-ranked (alternate), conduplicate, simple, existipulate, entire leaves, aromatic wood and fragrant three-part, often downward-facing flowers, with many spirally arranged stamens and carpels. The fruits are also distinctive and contain large arilloid seeds, which are mottled or streaked in section (ruminate endosperm).

Artabotrys spp. are forest lianes with thick flat peduncles formed as hooks (Cremers, 1973), A. velutinus, a yellow-flowered species, being fairly widespread. The other c. 10 species in the genus are very locally distributed, as is common in many other genera in the family.

Flowers ⊕ and. Sepals 3, petals 3+3 (Uvariopsis ♂ or ♀ K2 C4; Enantia C3, the petals opposite the sepals; Hexalobus, Isolona C(6), Monodora C(3+3)). Stamens numerous, with a thickened connective, tightly packed in a spiral on the convex receptacle. G∞ free and spirally arranged (joined and in 1 whorl only in Isolona and Monodora); ovules 1 to several per carpel, attached to the adaxial carpel margin where the carpel is free, or basal (parietal only in Isolona and Monodora; Deroin, 1985).

PollinationAnnona is reported to be pollinated by beetles, but only handpollination seems to ensure adequate fruit-set.