Pouteria sapota

Great Sapote ( sapota Pouteria )

The Great Sapote ( sapota Pouteria ) Mamey sapote or Spanish is a plant from the family of Sapotengewächse ( Sapotaceae ). This Headquartered in tropical America tree is known for its large, tasty berries.

Description

Pouteria sapota is an evergreen or deciduous, latex leading tree. He attained stature heights of 20 to 25, rarely to 40 meters and trunk diameter of up to 1 meter. He can form buttress roots. The pyramidal tree crown is composed of horizontally spreading branches. The leaves are clustered at the ends of branches. They are oval to lanceolate, above the middle at the widest, tapering at both ends. The petiole measures two to five inches, the blade itself is ten to 50 centimeters long and 7-16 centimeters wide.

The flowers are six of us together to twelfth. They appear almost without pedicel at last year's branches from the axils of fallen leaves already. They are white, yellowish or greenish. The flowers are fünfzählig next five fertile stamens, there are five infertile. The ovary is composed of five carpels, the style ends in a single scar.

The resulting fruit is a berry. Its shape ranges from spindle- shaped to round, the tip ends blunt. The fruit is up to twenty centimeters long and reaches seven to twelve inches in diameter. Selected varieties bring up to three kilograms produce heavy fruits. The fruit is surrounded by a leathery, rough, gray-brown shell. The flesh may have different shades of red. It is soft when ripe and tastes sweet, but can also - depending on the variety - contain fibers. Each fruit usually contains one, rarely up to four seeds. The seed is brown to black, fusiform, pointed at the ends, eight to ten inches long with three to six inches in width.

Dissemination

The distribution area of Pouteria sapota is located in southern Mexico and northern Nicaragua. The tree deeper settled altitudes to about 600 meters, rarely to 1500 meters. He prefers to grow in sandy- loamy, deep soils. The annual rainfall in the area of ​​distribution between 900 and 1800 mm, minimum temperatures are 15 ° C.

It is now used in many areas of Central and South America and partly overgrown by its use as a fruit.

Life cycle

The heyday of Pouteria sapota is from August to October, the fruits ripen from December to March. Several cultivated varieties show variable harvest times. In climates with a pronounced dry season, the ripening of all fruits concentrated to a short period, with continuous water supply, the flowering and fruit ripening takes place over a longer period. A dry season immediately leads to leaf fall. The seeds germinate quickly, sometimes even in the fruit, usually after two to four weeks. Germination is hypogeous. The trees are in bloom and bear fruit after about eight to ten years.

Use

Pouteria sapota is grown mainly due to the fruits, which are used as fruit. There are various, selected for their fruit quality, varieties in the trade.

Pulp

The pulp is eaten fresh or processed into various desserts and drinks. Ripe fruits keep for several days and can be transported immediately after picking.

100 g of pulp have a calorific value of 480 kJ and include:

Seed

The seeds have an aromatic bitter almond flavor. They are used in the preparation of chocolate and other sweets. They contain 45 to 60% oil which can be used for making soap.

Wood

The wood is hard and durable, it can be worked well. The sapwood is narrow, the heartwood is reddish and finely textured. It is used for furniture, but also used for house construction.

Medicine

Various parts of the tree are used for medicinal purposes: the oil from the seeds, ground seeds, bark, leaves and milky sap. The milky sap is irritating to eyes and skin strong, even the leaves are referred to as toxic.

Documents

• J. A. Morera: Sapote ( sapota Pouteria ). In: J. E. Hernándo Bermejo and J. León ( eds.): Neglected Crops: 1492 from a Different Perspective. 1994th Plant Production and Protection Series No.. 26 FAO, Rome. Pp. 103-109. online
• Julia F. Morton: Sapote. In: Julia F. Morton: Fruits of Warm climates. 1987. Miami, FL. S. 398- 402.online
• Aníbal Niembro Rocas: Pouteria sapota. In: Tropical Tree Seed Manual online