Diospyros digyna
Black Sapote ( Diospyros digyna )
The Black Sapote ( Diospyros digyna ) is like the Kakibaum ( Diospyros kaki ) a representative of the ebony trees ( Diospyros ). The home of this evergreen deciduous tree is Mexico and Guatemala. The species is, however, also planted in other areas due to the edible fruit.
Description
The black sapote is an evergreen, deeply branched and up to 25 meters high tree with a dense and spreading crown and black, furrowed bark. The leaves are arranged opposite one another. The dark green leaf blade is elliptic to obovate, pointed or rounded and narrowed to the base broadly cuneate. It is entire, glabrous, rough leathery and reaches a length of 30 centimeters and a width of 15 centimeters. The upper leaf surface is slightly glossy, the bottom mat. The petiole is strong and about 1.5 inches long.
The flowers are single or bisexual, short-stalked and are available individually or in groups of up to seven single flowers in the leaf axils. The green and bald calyx is disc-shaped with four to six wavy incurved and notched at the end corners. The crown is a bulbous round tube with four small, recurved corolla lobes. It is 1 to 1.5 inches long and grünweißlicher color. As fruits Short-stalked, broadly round berries are formed which can reach a length of up to 10 centimeters and a diameter of 13 centimeters. At the base of the fruit calyx is maintained which may reach a size of 4 to 5 centimeters. The fruit skin is smooth, shiny, thin and coarse. The color of the fruit is initially dark green, dark brown at maturity to black. The pulp is initially ocher and chocolate brown later. It is mushy and has a mild, sweet and nutty flavor. Each crop up to twelve seeds are formed, which are arranged in a star shape. The seeds are flattened oval, 28 mm long and 18 mm wide with a narrow side of 8 millimeters. The seed coats are hard and shiny orange-brown. In the Mexican lowlands it blooms in March and bears fruit from July to September.
Distribution and habitat requirements
The black sapote is native to Mexico and Guatemala. It is grown in the southern North America to the West Indies and the Philippines. In other tropical and subtropical regions it is rarely planted. The black sapote is growing both in the subtropical lowlands as well at higher altitudes in the tropics. It is sensitive to frost.
Systematics and Botanical History
The Black Sapote ( Diospyros digyna ) is a species from the genus of ebony trees ( Diospyros ) in the family of the ebony family ( Ebenaceae ). It was first described by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin in 1798 in his work Plantarum Horti rariorum Caesarei Schoenbrunnensis descriptiones et icones. The genus name Diospyros was introduced by Carl Linnaeus, referring to the lotus plum ( Diospyros lotus ) and persimmon ( Diospyros virginiana). The term comes from the Greek and is composed of the two parts dios for the god Zeus and pyros for wheat. The term can therefore be translated as " Zeusweizen ". In ancient times, so the hawksbill Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) or the European hackberry (Celtis australis) has been called. The specific epithet means digyna zweigriffelig. Synonyms for the species are Diospyros nigra ( JF Gmelin ) Perrottet and Diospyros ebenaster Hiern (non Retz. ).
Use
The brown, pulpy flesh of ripe berries resembles plum and can be spooned without preparation from the fruit bowl or used as a spread. Prepared with milk or the juice of citrus fruits, it is eaten as a dessert, mixed with water, milk or other fruit juices it is used as a beverage. From fermented fruit alcoholic beverages can be produced. The fruits are rich in vitamin C, calcium and phosphorus. Decoctions of leaves and bark to help against fever, skin diseases and leprosy. The dark - yellow and black grained wood is rarely used for making furniture.
The trees bear two to three months, plenty of fruit. Correspondence to the market fruits are picked still in the green state and can without cooling about two weeks to be stored. The propagation usually takes place by seeds. In low rainfall areas, the trees are irrigated.