Great sapote
| Great sapote | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Great sapote ( Pouteria sapota ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pouteria sapota | ||||||||||||
| ( Jacq. ) HEMoore & Stearn |
The great sapote ( Pouteria sapota ) or Mamey sapote in Spanish is a species of plant from the sapote family (Sapotaceae). This tree, native to tropical America, is known for its large, tasty berry fruits.
description
Pouteria sapota is an evergreen or deciduous tree that carries milk sap . It reaches heights of growth of 20 to 25, rarely up to 40 meters and trunk diameters of up to 1 meter. It can develop buttress roots and the bark is grayish to brownish and more or less longitudinally fissured. The pyramidal treetop is made up of horizontally spread branches. The tree has a milky sap .
The stalked leaves are heaped at the ends of the branches. They are elliptical, oblong to obovate, -eilanzettlich. The petiole measures 2 to 5 centimeters, the leaf itself is 10 to 50 centimeters long and 7 to 16 centimeters wide. The leaves have entire margins and are rounded at the tip, rounded or pointed to pointed. Stipules are missing.
The flowers are tufted, six to twelve together. They appear almost sessile to short stalked on last year's twigs, from the leaf axils of leaves that have already fallen. They are white, yellowish to greenish in color. The hermaphroditic flowers are usually five-fold with a double flower envelope. The often 6-8 sepals are in a spiral circle and are yellowish and hairy. The slightly hairy petals, which are fused in the lower part, are erect, tubular. In addition to five short, fertile stamens, there are five elongated, sterile staminodes. The Upper constant, hairy and two-chamber ovary is composed of five carpels, the conical stylus ending in a capitate, split scar .
The resulting fruit is a berry (armored berry). Their shape is egg-shaped to rounded, the tip is rounded to slightly pointed. The fruit is over 20 centimeters long and seven to twelve centimeters in diameter. Selected varieties produce fruits weighing up to three kilograms. The fruit is surrounded by a warty to scabby and leathery, rough, gray-brown to slightly orange skin. The pulp can have different shades of red or orange. When ripe it is soft and tastes sweet, but can also contain fibers, depending on the variety. Each fruit usually contains one, rarely up to four seeds . The large seed is brown to black, shiny, ovoid to spindle-shaped and 8 to 10 centimeters long and 3 to 6 centimeters wide. An elongated, whitish, more or less large hilum is formed on one side.
distribution
The distribution area of Pouteria sapota is in southern Mexico , northern Nicaragua, Guatemala , El Salvador , Belize and Honduras. The tree inhabits lower altitudes up to about 600 meters, rarely up to 1500 meters. It grows preferentially on sandy-loamy, deep soils. The annual precipitation in the distribution area is 900 to 1800 mm, the lowest temperatures are 15 ° C.
Due to its use as a fruit, it is now widespread in many areas of Central and South America and in some cases it has also grown wild. Since 2016, the Great Sapote can also be found in farmers' markets in the north of Tenerife.
Taxonomy
Synonyms for Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) HE Moore & Stearn are Achras lucuma Blanco , Calocarpum sapota (Jacq.) Merr. and Sideroxylon sapota Jacq.
Life cycle
Pouteria sapota is in bloom from August to October and the fruits ripen from December to March. Different cultivated varieties show variable harvest times. In climates with a pronounced dry season, the ripening of all fruits is concentrated over a short period of time; with a constant 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 still in the fruit, usually after two to four weeks. The germination takes place hypogeous. The trees bloom and produce fruit after about eight to ten years.
use
Pouteria sapota is grown primarily for the fruits that are used as fruit. There are different varieties on the market, selected for their fruit quality.
Pulp
The pulp is eaten fresh or processed into various desserts and drinks. Ripe fruits keep for a few days and can be transported immediately after being picked.
100 g of pulp have a calorific value of 480 kJ and contain:
| component | amount |
|---|---|
| water | 55.3-73.1 g |
| Proteins | 0.188-1.97 g |
| Fats | 0.09-0.25 g |
| carbohydrates | 1.41-29.7 g |
| Fiber | 1.21-3.20 g |
| calcium | 28.2 - 121.0 mg |
| phosphorus | 22.9-33.1 mg |
| iron | 0.52-2.62 mg |
| carotene | 0.045-0.665 mg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.002-0.025 mg |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.006-0.046 mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 1.574-2.58 mg |
| vitamin C | 8.8-40.0 mg |
Seeds
The seeds have an aromatic bitter almond aroma. They are used in the preparation of chocolate and other desserts. They contain 45 to 60% oil that can be used to make soap.
Wood
The wood is hard and resistant, it can be worked well. The sapwood is narrow, the heartwood is reddish and finely grained. It is used for furniture construction, but also for house building.
medicine
Different components of the tree are used for medicinal purposes: the oil from the seeds, ground seeds, bark, leaves and milky sap. The milky sap is very irritating to the eyes and skin, and the leaves are also considered poisonous.
literature
- JA Morera: Sapote (Pouteria sapota). In: JE Hernándo Bermejo, J. León (Ed.): Neglected Crops: 1492 from a Different Perspective. Plant Production and Protection Series No. 26. FAO, Rome 1994, pp. 103-109, online .
- Julia F. Morton: Sapote. In: Julia F. Morton: Fruits of warm climates. Miami, FL. 1987, pp. 398-402, online .
- Aníbal Niembro Rocas: Pouteria sapota. In: Tropical Tree Seed Manual online (PDF), accessed on September 9, 2019.
- Annotated Bibliography of Pouteria (1990–2004), limited preview in Google Book Search.
Web links
- Mamey Sapote at Growables, accessed September 9, 2019.
- Pouteria sapota at Useful Tropical Plants.