''Pouteria sapota'', the mamey sapote, is a species of tree native to southern Mexico and Central America. It is now cultivated throughout Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as Florida and parts of South America. Its fruit is eaten raw in many Latin American countries, and is added to smoothies, milkshakes, ice cream, and other foods. Some of its names in Latin American countries, such as (Cuba), (Costa Rica) and (South America), refer to the reddish colour of its flesh to distinguish it from the unrelated but similar-looking ''

Mammea americana ''Mammea americana'', commonly known as mammee, mammee apple, mammey, mamey, mamey apple, Santo Domingo apricot, tropical apricot, or South American apricot, is an evergreen tree of the family Calophyllaceae, whose fruit is edible. It has als ...

'', whose fruit is usually called "yellow mamey" ().

Description

Mamey sapote is a large and highly ornamental

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

tree that can reach a height of at maturity. The fruit, botanically a berry, is about long and wide and has flesh ranging in color from pink to orange to red. The brown skin has a texture somewhat between sandpaper and the fuzz on a

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

. The fruit's texture is creamy and soft, and the flavor is a mix of sweet potato, pumpkin, honey, prune, peach, apricot, cantaloupe, cherry, and almond. A mamey sapote is ripe when the flesh is vibrant salmon in color when a fleck of the skin is removed. The flesh should give slightly, as with an overripe

avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...

. The leaves are pointed at both ends, 4 to 12 inches in length, and grow in clusters at the ends of branches. The mamey sapote is related to other

sapote Sapote (; from ) is a term for a soft, edible fruit. The word is incorporated into the common names of several unrelated fruit-bearing plants native to Mexico, Central America and northern parts of South America. Species From Sapotaceae Some, ...

s such as ''sapodilla'' (''

Manilkara zapota ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, chicozapote, chicoo, chicle, naseberry, nispero, or soapapple, among other names, is an evergreen tree native to southern Mexico and Central America. An example natural occurrence is ...

''),

abiu ''Pouteria caimito'', the abiu (), is a tropical fruit tree in the family ''Sapotaceae''. It grows in the Amazonian region of South America, and this type of fruit can also be found in the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia. It g ...

(''P. caimito''), and

canistel ''Lucuma campechiana'' (commonly known as the cupcake fruit, eggfruit, zapote amarillo or canistel) is an evergreen tree native to, and cultivated in, southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador. It is cultivated in other countries, s ...

(''P. campechiana''), but unrelated to the black sapote ('' Diospyros digyna'') and white sapote (''

Casimiroa edulis The white sapote, scientific name ''Casimiroa edulis'', also called casimiroa and Mexican apple, and known as ''cochitzapotl'' in the Nahuatl language (meaning "sleep-sapote") is a species of tropical fruiting tree in the family Rutaceae, native ...

''). File:Pouteria sapota - marmalade tree - desc-leaf cluster - from-DC1.jpg, Leaves on tree File:Pouteria sapota 02 fruit on branch.jpg, Fruit on branch File:CDC sapote2.jpg, Fruit flesh and kernel File:Mamey.jpg, Mamey at a Tepoztlan market File:Pouteria sapota 03 tree bark.jpg, Tree bark Pouteria_sapota_tree_branch_with_young_fruit.jpg, Branch with young fruit

Distribution

The native range probably extends from the southern Mexican states of

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

Tabasco Tabasco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tabasco, 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It i ...

, and

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

through Nicaragua, Belize, and northern Honduras. This is uncertain, however, because the tree was already widely cultivated in the tropical Americas prior to European colonization.Cordero J. y Boshier D.H. 2003. Árboles de Centroamérica un Manual para extensionistas. Oxford Forestry Institute (OFI). Centro Agronómico, Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE). Pp. 1079. Today, it is cultivated in most Mexican states, many Caribbean islands, and tropical continental America from Florida to Brazil. The first record of cultivation in south Florida dates to the 1880s. It has also been introduced to the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Cultivation

It prefers smooth sandy, deep, clay and fertile soils, with pH of 5.5 to 6.5. The species does not tolerate low temperatures, prolonged periods of drought, or soils with bad drainage or where the water table is very high. It is mainly propagated by

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticulture, horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the roots ...

, which ensures the new plant has the same characteristics as the parent, especially its fruit, as it does not grow true to seed. It is also considerably faster than growing trees by seed, producing fruit in 3–5 years; trees grown from seed require 7 years of growth before fruiting. Seeds lose viability within a month of harvest, so should be sown immediately. Pouteria sapota trees are quite productive fruiters. A typical mature tree may produce 200-500 fruits per year, while vigorous established trees may produce more than twice this amount. The 2017 production average for Mexican growers was 12.4 tons/hectare. In Florida, the fruit is harvested from May to July with some cultivars available all year.

Pests and diseases

Pouteria sapota is not often troubled by significant insect damage. The Cuban May beetle (''Phyllophaga bruneri'') and the sugarcane rootstalk borer (''Diaprepes abbreviatus''), along with various species of scale and spider mites are known to attack the plant, but rarely is the infestation significant. Oviposition by fruit flies onto the fruit can cause damage to the pulp. The most important species in this respect is ''Anastrepha serpentine'', known as the sapote fly, specializing in Sapotaceae plants.

Uses

The fruit is eaten raw or made into milkshakes,

smoothie A smoothie is a beverage made by puréeing ingredients in a blender. A smoothie commonly has a liquid base, such as fruit juice or milk, yogurt or ice cream. Other ingredients may be added, including fruits, vegetables, non-dairy milk, cru ...

s, ice cream, and . It can be used to produce marmalade and jelly. Some beauty products use oil pressed from the seed, otherwise known as sapayul oil.

Nutrition

The fruit is an excellent source of vitamins B₆ and C, and is a good source of

riboflavin Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is a vitamin found in food and sold as a dietary supplement. It is essential to the formation of two major coenzymes, flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. These coenzymes are involved in ...

niacin Nicotinic acid, or niacin, is an organic compound and a vitamer of vitamin B3, an essential human nutrient. It is produced by plants and animals from the amino acid tryptophan. Nicotinic acid is also a prescription medication. Amounts f ...

vitamin E Vitamin E is a group of eight compounds related in molecular structure that includes four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. The tocopherols function as fat-soluble antioxidants which may help protect cell membranes from reactive oxygen speci ...

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

, and

dietary fiber Dietary fiber (fibre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes. Dietary fibers are diverse in chemical co ...

. Research has identified several new

carotenoids Carotenoids () are yellow, orange, and red organic compound, organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, archaea, and Fungus, fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips ...

from the ripe fruit.

Synonyms

References

External links

*
New Crop Resource Online Program: Sapote
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1292857

sapota ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, chicozapote, chicoo, chicle, naseberry, nispero, or soapapple, among other names, is an evergreen tree native to southern Mexico and Central America. An example natural occurrence is ...

Tropical fruit Flora of Mexico Flora of Central America Crops originating from Mexico Crops originating from North America National symbols of Cuba