Species Annona senegalensis

La. annona = harvestable food, such as wheat, yearly produce; from La. annus = year. It was the name of a wheat allotment given to the people of Rome, when necessary, by the government to stave off famine. This allotment (started by Gaius Gracchus in 123 BCE), of 6.5 bushels of corn at a reduced price was given to up to 300 000 Roman householders and was in effect, with some eligibility variations, until the end of the Roman Empire; referring to the edible fruit of this species. Possibly after Annona, the Roman goddess (often depicted on coins), responsible for produce grown in a year.