Pouteria elegans

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

Many species, such as Pouteria sapota, have edible fruits and are important foods, seasonally. Some are being commercially collected and sold on local markets or packed in cans. Pouteria species yield hard, heavy, resilient woods used as firewood and timber, but particularly in outdoor and naval construction, such as dock pilings, deckings, etc. Some species, such as abiu (P. caimito), are considered to be shipworm resistant, but this depends on the silica content, which may vary from 0.0-0.9%. The weight by volume (at 12% moisture content) of Pouteria wood can be in excess of 1140 kg/m3 (71 lb/ft3; thus, the wood sinks in water. The wood of Pouteria species is prone to considerable movement and warping when it dries out, but in its main use, naval construction, this is not a problem, since the wood never gets really dry. The vessel elements are relatively small and usually di- to quadriseriate; the medullary rays are fine and close together. Pouteria woods are capable of attaining an excellent polish using fine-grained sandpaper and possibly some wax. They can sometimes show an attractive figure of dark stripes against a sandy to mid-brown background colour. However, the wood is hardly used for furniture because it is so dense that items made from it would be difficult to transport. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to work using hand tools. Even using power tools, working these woods presents some problems, as well, but given some patience and practical knowledge, these can easily be solved. For the silica to be effective against shipworms, it needs to dry to some degree to harden. When the wood is continually waterlogged, this process may take place very slowly or not at all, leaving the wood vulnerable. Pouteria foliage is used as food by some Lepidoptera caterpillars, including those of the dalcerid moth Dalcera abrasa, which has been recorded on P. ramiflora. The fruits are important food for various animals, such as the rock-haunting ringtail possum (Petropseudes dahli). Due to habitat loss and in some cases overexploitation, many species of Pouteria are threatened. At least 10 are close to extinction.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows near rivers. It is often in forest which is occasionally or permanently flooded. It is usually at low elevations but can be up to 700 m altitude.

Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, South America, Venezuela,

How to Identify

A small tree. It is 3-10 m high. It can be 20 m high. The trunk can be 50 cm across. The young shoots have small hairs at first. The bark is pale grey to dark brown and thinly scaling. The leaves are spaced. They are arranged in spirals. They are 6.2-16 cm long by 1.9-5.2 cm wide. They are oblong or oval. There are 11-20 pairs of veins. The leaf stalk is 0.7-2 cm long. The flowers occur in tufts of 2-12 flowers. The flowers are of one sex with separate sexes on separate trees. The flowers are greenish-white. They have a scent. The fruit are 3-5 cm long. They are oval. The fruit become greenish-brown as they ripen. There is one seed. The seed is 2.5-4.1 cm long. The flesh around the seed is edible.

Notes

There are about 150-320 Pouteria species. They grow in the tropics.

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