Family: SAPOTACEAE
Other common names: sapota, Santo Domingo apricot; marmalade plum; naseberry; nispero; dilly; chiku.
Large, slow growing, attractively shaped, evergreen tree, growing to a height of 5 - 18 m. A good shade or windbreak species. The tree starts to produce fruit when about 8 years old if grown from seed, 3 - 4 years if grown from grafts or cuttings. It prefers a moist, well drained soil with plenty of organic matter, but is adaptable to many soil types. The sapodilla is drought tolerant and also reasonably tolerant of salt spray, flooding and wind. Ideally it needs a warm climate and will tolerate very high temperatures, but mature trees will also tolerate temperatures as low as - 4.5oC. Young trees are likely to be killed by frosts.
The sapodilla fruit are usually produced in pairs, resemble a quince in shape and are a russet -brown colour when ripe. The fruit needs to be picked when it is fully ripe, as immature fruits contain tannin and a milky, inedible juice. The honey - coloured pulp is juicy, tender and very sweet. The seeds should be removed, as they are hooked and can lodge in the throat. The fruit can be used for jams and jelly making, and the young leaves are also edible.
Nutritional composition of the sapodilla per 100 grams of edible portion is: Water - 76.1%, Energy - 89 calories, Carbohydrate - 21.8 g, Fat - 1.1 g, Protein - 0.5 g, Ash - 0.5 g, Calcium -21 mg, Potassium - 193 mg, Sodium - 12 mg, Iron - 0.8 mg, Phosphorous - 12 mg, Vitamin A -60 I.U., Thiamin - trace, Riboflavin - 0.2 mg, Niacin - 0.2 mg, Ascorbic acid - 14 mgs.
Grafted plants or trees are preferable, as trees grown from seed, do not always grow true to type. Gross pollination is desirable, so it is advantageous if more than one tree is grown, but this is not essential. Minimum spacing between trees is 6 m.
The sapodilla produces a latex (called chicle), obtained by tapping the bark, which is used commercially as a basis for chewing gum in Central America. It also produces a good strong, durable, termite resistant timber which is used for furniture, banisters, cabinet making, bows, railway sleepers, flooring, tool handles and rulers. Some of the lintels and supporting beams in Mayan temples were made from the wood and are still intact in the ruins. It has some potential as animal forage.