Sapodilla
Sapodilla is a tropical fruit tree. It originates from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Fruits of the sapodilla look a bit like a potato but have a very sweet flavor.
Names
Scientific
Manilkara zapota
Synonym
Achras sapota
Achras zapota
English
Naseberry
Sapodilla
Dutch
Sapodilla
Spanish
Chicle
Chicozapote
French
Sapotille
Sapotillier
German
Breiapfelbaum
Kaugummibaum
Sapote
Sapotillbaum
Italian
Sapotiglia
Other
Chikoo
Chiku
Ciku
Sofeda
Taxonomy
Order
Ericales
Family
Sapotaceae
Genus
Manilkara
Species
Manilkara zapota (Sapodilla)
Basic information and facts
Origin:
Central America and South Mexico.
Distribution:
Central America, Mexico, India, Philippines.
Evergreen or deciduous:
It’s an evergreen tree.
Flowers:
Sapodilla trees may flower year round, but fruiting usually occurs only twice a year.
Leaves:
The green glossy leaves are 7 to 15 centimeters long.
Fruits:
Sapodilla fruits are large oval-shaped berries, with a diameter of 4-8 cm. They look like a potato. Inside the fruit are 2-5 black bean-like seeds with a hook on one end. Fruiting occurs twice a year.
The sweet flesh is very tasty. It has a pale yellowish to earth brown color. The texture is grainy resembling a pear.
Climate and weather:
Tropical
Pollination:
Height:
Sapodilla trees can be up to 30 meters tall.
Spacing (close range)
9 meters
Spacing (wide range)
13 meters
Propagation:
Can be grown from seeds, but vegetative propagation is preferred, for example by grafting, ground-layering or air-layering.
Insect pests:
Not many insect pests. Sometimes mealybugs or scale insects.
Diseases:
Harvesting:
Fruits are picked by hand. It is difficult to see if the fruits are ripe. You can scratch the fruit to make sure the skin is not green beneath the surface.
Uses:
The sweet pulp of the fruits is eaten raw. The fruits can be cut in half to eat the flesh with a spoon.
The tree has strong durable wood which can be used in construction.
Young fruits have high tannin content and are boiled to make a decoction that stops diarrhea.
Crop categories
Fruits
Minor crops
Subtropical crops
Tropical crops
Pictures
Sapodilla
Sapodilla
Sapodilla
Sapodilla fruits
Sapodilla tree