Mammi apple
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Mummy apple ( Mammea americana ) |
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The Mammiapfel or Mammeyapfel ( Mammea americana ), also American Mammeiapfel or apricot of Santo Domingo and American apricot or brushing tree called, is a flowering plant in the family of calophyllaceae . The mammi apple comes from the Caribbean islands and Central America and is known for its tasty fruits.
description
The mammi apple grows as an evergreen tree that reaches heights of up to 20 meters and trunk diameters of 0.9 to 1.2 meters. It has a short trunk and a slender, leafy treetop . The bark is relatively smooth and grayish-brown. The tree has a milky sap .
The opposite arranged on the branches, bare and simple leaves have a 1 to 2 centimeter long, thick petiole and a leaf blade. This is thick leathery, dark green and with a length of 15 to 25 centimeters and a width of 8 to 10 centimeters, broadly elliptical to obovate. The end of the leaf is rounded to blunt or rounded, less often indented, the base of the blade is pointed and the edge of the leaf whole. The underside of the leaf is covered with glands.
In the case of the mammi apple, female, male and hermaphroditic flowers can occur on one individual or on different individuals ( polygamy ). The 1 centimeter long stalked flowers stand individually or in groups of two or three in the armpits of young twigs. The fragrant flowers have a diameter of 2.5 to 4 centimeters and a double flower envelope . The two boat-shaped sepals are 1.5 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide and round. The four to six white, spreading petals are obovate with a length of 1.5 to 2 centimeters. The numerous stamens are orange to yellow. The spherical, two-chambered ovary is above, on a curved flower axis . The short style ends in a wide, two-lobed stigma .
The berries are on thick and up to 4 centimeters long fruit stalks. The round, sometimes slightly pointed berry (armored berry) has a diameter of 10 to 20 centimeters. The gray-brown, matt and rough, scabby to blackish fruit rind is up to 6 millimeters thick and is soft, leathery on ripe fruit. Under the bark lies whitish, dry and very bitter skin. The orange to golden yellow pulp is soft, fibrous, slightly juicy and has a sweet and sour, aromatic taste reminiscent of mangoes and apricots . One to four round or ellipsoidal, often one-sided, flattened seeds are formed per fruit. The seeds have a woody, brown, reticulate, pit-carved shell, to which a layer of the pulp sticks.
Distribution and ecology
The original distribution area of the mammi apple extends over the Caribbean islands and southern Central America. There it is also often cultivated as a fruit tree. It is less common in the rest of tropical America, and very rarely in the tropics of the Old World. It grows in rainy tropical lowland climates at altitudes between sea level and 1000 meters. It prefers deep, nutrient-rich and well-drained soils , but also thrives on flat sandy or calcareous soils.
Systematics and origin of name
The first publication of Mammea americana was made in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum , 1, p 512. A synonym for Mammea americana L. is Mammea emarginata Moc. & Sessé ex Choisy . The Mammiapfel ( Mammea americana ) is a kind of the genus Mammea in the tribe Calophylleae within the family of calophyllaceae ; it was previously assigned to the Clusiaceae family .
The generic name Mammea was introduced by Carl von Linné and is derived from the English word "mammee", which comes from the French "mameis", mammea and the Spanish "mamey" from the Arawak , a language strain of the Caribbean region. The specific epithet americana refers to the origin from America.
use
The ripe pulp of good varieties is very tasty and is eaten raw as fruit. It is used to make jam and jelly or to use it to make juices. Large amounts of the pulp can cause intestinal discomfort and poisoning has also been reported. The bitter rind and the underlying skin must be removed before use. The seeds are poisonous and cannot be used. A liqueur is distilled from the fermented flowers . Due to their antiseptic effect, the seeds are pulverized against skin diseases, but also used as an insecticide . Infusions from the leaves are said to reduce fever and help against malaria.
The fruit trees are grown from seeds and grown in gardens, on the Caribbean islands also in plantations. The trees bear fruit for the first time at the age of 7 to 13, which is harvested when fully ripe, mostly by picking them up from the ground. The trees can bear fruit up to twice a year. 150 to 200 fruits can be harvested per tree, which results in an annual yield of up to 400 fruits.
literature
- Bernd Nowak, Bettina Schulz: Pocket dictionary of tropical crops and their fruits . Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-494-01455-5 , p. 348-350 .
- Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 (reprint from 1996).
- Julia F. Morton: Mamey , pp. 304-307, In: Fruits of warm climates , Miami, FL, 1987. Mamey. Purdue University, accessed March 21, 2011 .
Web links
- Mammea americana at Useful Tropical Plants.
- Mammay Apple at Growables, accessed September 9, 2019.
- Mammea americana at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, accessed September 9, 2019.
Individual evidence
- ^ German name from S. Rehm: Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants . Springer, 1994, ISBN 0-7923-2970-8 . quoted from GRIN.
- ↑ a b c d e Nowak et al .: Pocket dictionary of tropical crops and their fruits. P. 349.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Julia F. Morton: Mamey , pp. 304-307, In: Fruits of warm climates , Miami, FL, 1987. Mamey. Purdue University, accessed March 21, 2011 .
- ↑ Nowak et al .: Pocket dictionary of tropical crops and their fruits. P. 348.
- ↑ a b Mammea americana. In: Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, accessed February 18, 2011 .
- ↑ To be precise: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. P. 364.
- ↑ To be precise: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. Pp. 56-57.