Manilkara zapota


Manilkara zapota, commonly known as sapodilla, sapota, chikoo, naseberry, or nispero is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion, where it is a subdominant plant species. It was introduced to the Philippines during Spanish colonization. It is grown in large quantities in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Mexico.
The name "zapota" from the Spanish zapote ultimately derives from the Nahuatl word tzapotl.

Description

Sapodilla can grow to more than tall with an average trunk diameter of. The average height of cultivated specimens, however, is usually between with a trunk diameter not exceeding . It is wind-resistant and the bark is rich in a white, gummy latex called chicle. The ornamental leaves are medium green and glossy. They are alternate, elliptic to ovate, long, with an entire margin. The white flowers are inconspicuous and bell-like, with a six-lobed corolla. An unripe fruit has a firm outer skin and when picked, releases white chicle from its stem. A fully ripened fruit has saggy skin and does not release chicle when picked.
The fruit is a large berry, in diameter. Inside, its flesh ranges from a pale yellow to an earthy brown color with a grainy texture akin to that of a well-ripened pear. Each fruit contains one to six seeds. The seeds are hard, glossy, and black, resembling beans, with a hook at one end that can catch in the throat if swallowed.
The fruit has an exceptionally sweet, malty flavor. The unripe fruit is hard to the touch and contains high amounts of saponin, which has astringent properties similar to tannin, drying out the mouth.
The trees can survive only in warm, typically tropical environments, dying easily if the temperature drops below freezing. From germination, the sapodilla tree will usually take anywhere from five to eight years to bear fruit. The sapodilla trees yield fruit twice a year, though flowering may continue year round.

Other names

Sapodilla is known as mispel in the Virgin Islands and Dutch Caribbean; zapote in Honduras and Panama; níspero in Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia and Venezuela; dilly in the Bahamas; naseberry in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean; sapoti in Brazil and Haiti; chico in the Philippines and chicosapote or chicozapote in Guatemala, Mexico, Hawaii, and Florida.
It is known as chikoo in Northern India, Pakistan and the Philippines, sapota in South Indian languages, sapeta "ସପେଟା" in Odia and sapathilla or rata-mi in Sri Lanka, sobeda/sofeda in eastern India and Bangladesh, sabudheli in Maldives; sawo in Indonesia and saos in the province of West Sumatra; hồng xiêm, lồng mứt, or xa pô chê in Vietnam; lamoot in Thailand, Laos and in Cambodia.
It is called ciku in standard Malay, and sawo nilo in Kelantanese Malay. In Chinese, the name is mistakenly translated by many people roughly as "ginseng fruit", though this is also the name used for the pepino, an unrelated fruit; it should instead be "heart fruit" because it is shaped like the heart.

Biological studies

Compounds extracted from the leaves showed anti-diabetic, antioxidant and hypocholesterolemic effects in rats.
Acetone extracts of the seeds exhibited in vitro antibacterial effects against strains of Pseudomonas oleovorans and Vibrio cholerae.

Synonyms

of this species include:

Uses

The fruit is edible and a favorite in the American Tropics.