Pouteria macrophylla

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

It is a tropical plant. It grows in regions with 1,500-3,500 mm rain per year. In Bolivia they grow to 700 m altitude.

Amazon, Andes, Bolivia, Brazil*, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South America, Suriname, Venezuela, West Indies,

How to Identify

A tree. It grows to 20-30 m high. The trunk is 50 cm across. It has white sap. It has small buttresses. The leaves are green and vary in shape. They tend to be long and sword shaped and 10-18 cm long by 5-9 cm wide. There are 3-12 flowers in a group. The fruit is 6 cm long and 4 cm wide.

How to Grow

Plants are grown from seed.

Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in individual pots in a position in semishade. Germination usually occurs in 4 - 5 weeks, though the germination rate is normally low.

Other Uses

The wood is heavy, hard to cut, of medium texture, straight grained and uniform. It has good resistance to insects and is of long durability. It is used for small construction work and for external work such as fence posts, crosspieces, stakes etc.

Other Information

The fruit are popular. It is a cultivated fruit tree.

Notes

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

More from Sapotaceae

Argania spinosa

Argan, Morocco iron-wood

Autranella congolensis

Ntiore, Uku

Baillonella toxisperma

False shea butternut, African pearwood

Beccariella brownlessiana

Northern Coondoo

Beccariella macrocarpa

Big-leaf Planchonella, Big-leaf Coondoo, Pink boxwood

Beccariella papyracea

Pink Boxwood