Pouteria sapota, the mamey sapote, is a species of tree native to Central America and southern Mexico. It is now cultivated throughout Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as in 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.

Description Mamey sapote is a large evergreen tree that can reach a height of at maturity. It is sometimes grown for its ornamental value in addition to its fruit.

The fruit, botanically a berry,Mamey Sapote - CooksInfo.com 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 Tropical Fruit Growers present - Mamey Sapote 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.Mamey – A Tropical Miami Fruit That Should Become Mainstream - Forbes A mamey sapote is ripe when the flesh is vibrant salmon in color when a fleck of the skin is removed.Fruit of the Month: Mamey Sapote The flesh should give slightly, as with an overripe avocado. The leaves are pointed at both ends, 4 to 12 inches in length, and grow in clusters at the ends of branches.Introducing the mamey | Alain Dubernard | Restaurant Business

The mamey sapote is in the same family as, and thus closely botanically related to, other sapotes such as sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), abiu (P. caimito), and canistel (Lucuma campechiana). However, other fruits that go by the common name 'sapote' are less closely related, such as the black sapote (Diospyros nigra)Good Enough To Eat: Soft fruits: The names and tastes vary - Seattle Post-Intelligencer and white sapote (Casimiroa edulis).Florida Crop/Pest Management Profile: Mamey Sapote and SapodillaMAMEY SAPOTE (Pouteria sapote) - fruitipedia

Distribution The native range probably extends from the southern Mexican states of Veracruz, Tabasco, and Chiapas through Nicaragua, Belize, and northern Honduras.Ricker. 2001. Manejo y evaluación económica de una especie arbórea de la selva tropical: El Mamey (Pouteria sapota). En: B. Rendón Aguilar, S. Rebollar Domínguez, J. Caballero Nieto y M. A. Martínez Alfaro (eds). Plantas, Cultura y Sociedad. Estudio sobre la relación entre seres humanos y plantas en los albores del siglo XXI. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. México. pp. 287-307. 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.Oyen, L. P. A. 1991. Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H. E. Moore & Stearn. Páginas 259-262 en E. W. M. Verheij y R. E. Coronel, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia 2: Edible Fruits and Nuts, Pudoc-DLO, Wageningen, Países Bajos.

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, which ensures the new plant has the same characteristics as the parent, especially its fruit, as it does not grow true to seed. Grafting also produces fruiting trees considerably faster than growing by seed - grafted trees produce fruit in 3–5 years while trees grown from seed require 7 or more 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 producing year-round.Mamey Sapote - Melissa's Produce

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 (Tephritidae) onto the fruit can cause damage to the pulp, although this appears to be deterred in P. sapota, perhaps related to its latex production and ability to expeditiously form cork on scars. Among the most important species in this respect is Anastrepha serpentina, known as the sapote fly, specializing in Sapotaceae plants.

Uses

The fruit is eaten raw or made into milkshakes, smoothies, 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, niacin, vitamin E, manganese, potassium, and dietary fiber. Research has identified several new carotenoids from the ripe fruit.

See also Lucuma Mammea americana (mamey apple) Sapodilla

References

External links

New Crop Resource Online Program: Sapote