Pouteria


Pouteria is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical regions of the world. It includes the canistel, the Mamey sapote, and the lucuma. Commonly, this genus is known as pouteria trees, or in some cases, eggfruits.
Pouteria is related to Manilkara, another genus that produces hard and heavy woods used commonly for tropical construction, as well as edible fruit.

Uses

Many species, like Pouteria maclayana 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, are considered to be shipworm resistant; however, this depends on the silica content, which may vary from 0.0-0.9%. The weight by volume of Pouteria wood can be in excess of 1140 kg/m3.
Due to habitat loss and in some cases overexploitation, many species of Pouteria are threatened. At least 10 are close to extinction, and one - the Rio de Janeiro pouteria, which grew near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, is now extinct.

Systematics and taxonomy

Pouteria is a "wastebasket taxon", and its size is continually being expanded or decreased. The segregate Labatia, described by Olof Swartz in 1788 and named after the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Labat, was maintained as a distinct entity until the 1930s, when it was finally synonymized with Pouteria for good. Most segregated genera that were eventually merged with Pouteria again were established by Henri Ernest Baillon and Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre.

Selected species


  • Pouteria adolfi-friedericii
  • Pouteria altissima
  • Pouteria amapaensis
  • Pouteria amygdalina
  • Pouteria andarahiensis
  • Pouteria anteridata
  • Pouteria arcuata
  • Pouteria areolatifolia
  • Pouteria arguacoensium
  • Pouteria aristata
  • Pouteria arnhemica Baehni
  • Pouteria atabapoensis
  • Pouteria austin-smithii
  • Pouteria australis Baehni
  • Pouteria bapeba
  • Pouteria beaurepairei
  • Pouteria belizensis
  • Pouteria benai
  • Pouteria bonneriana
  • Pouteria bracteata
  • Pouteria brevensis
  • Pouteria brevipedicellata
  • Pouteria brevipetiolata
  • Pouteria briocheoides
  • Pouteria brownlessiana Baehni
  • Pouteria buenaventurensis
  • Pouteria bullata
  • Pouteria butyrocarpa
  • Pouteria caimito - Abiu, abiurana ferro
  • Pouteria calistophylla
  • Pouteria campechiana - Canistel, yellow sapote, coztic-zapote, cây trứng gà or lekima
  • Pouteria canaimaensis
  • Pouteria capacifolia
  • Pouteria cayennensis
  • Pouteria chartacea Baehni
  • Pouteria chiricana
  • Pouteria chocoensis
  • Pouteria cicatricata
  • Pouteria cinnamomea
  • Pouteria coelomatica
  • Pouteria collina
  • Pouteria congestifolia
  • Pouteria contermina
  • Pouteria costata - Tawāpou, bastard ironwood
  • Pouteria crassiflora
  • Pouteria cubensis
  • Pouteria cuspidata Baehni
  • Pouteria danikeri
  • Pouteria decussata
  • Pouteria eerwah Baehni - Shiny-leaved condoo, black plum, "wild apple"
  • Pouteria espinae
  • Pouteria euryphylla
  • Pouteria euphlebia Baehni
  • Pouteria exstaminodia
  • Pouteria filiformis
  • Pouteria fossicola
  • Pouteria foveolata
  • Pouteria franciscana
  • Pouteria fulva
  • Pouteria furcata
  • Pouteria gabrielensis
  • Pouteria gigantea
  • Pouteria glauca
  • Pouteria gracilis
  • Pouteria grandiflora
  • Pouteria guianensis Aubl.
  • Pouteria hotteana
  • Pouteria howeana Baehni
  • Pouteria izabalensis
  • Pouteria juruana
  • Pouteria kaalaensis
  • Pouteria kaieteurensis
  • Pouteria krukovii
  • Pouteria latianthera
  • Pouteria leptopedicellata
  • Pouteria longifolia
  • Pouteria lucens
  • Pouteria lucuma - Lúcuma, lucumo
  • Pouteria macahensis
  • Pouteria maclayana Baehni
  • Pouteria macrocarpa
  • Pouteria maguirei
  • Pouteria malaccensis Baehni
  • Pouteria melanopoda
  • Pouteria micrantha
  • Pouteria microstrigosa
  • Pouteria minima
  • Pouteria moaensis
  • Pouteria multiflora - Broad-leaved lucuma, "bully tree"
  • Pouteria myrsinoides Jessup
  • Pouteria myrsinodendron Jessup
  • Pouteria nemorosa
  • Pouteria nudipetala
  • Pouteria obovata Baehni
  • Pouteria oppositifolia
  • Pouteria orinocoensis
  • Pouteria oxypetala
  • Pouteria pachycalyx
  • Pouteria pachyphylla
  • Pouteria pallens
  • Pouteria pallida
  • Pouteria peduncularis
  • Pouteria penicillata
  • Pouteria peruviensis
  • Pouteria petiolata
  • Pouteria pimichinensis
  • Pouteria pisquiensis
  • Pouteria platyphylla
  • Pouteria pohlmaniana Baehni
  • Pouteria polysepala
  • Pouteria psammophila
  • Pouteria pseudoracemosa
  • Pouteria puberula
  • Pouteria pubescens
  • Pouteria putamen-ovi
  • Pouteria retinervis
  • Pouteria rhynchocarpa
  • Pouteria ramiflora Radlk.
  • Pouteria richardii Baehni
  • Pouteria rigidopsis
  • Pouteria rodriguesiana
  • Pouteria rufotomentosa
  • Pouteria sagotiana
  • Pouteria sandwicensis Baehni & O.Deg. - Ālaa
  • Pouteria sapota - Mamey sapote, abricó
  • Pouteria sclerocarpa
  • Pouteria scrobiculata
  • Pouteria semecarpifolia
  • Pouteria sessilis
  • Pouteria silvestris
  • Pouteria sipapoensis
  • Pouteria splendens
  • Pouteria squamosa
  • Pouteria stenophylla - Rio de Janeiro pouteria
  • Pouteria subsessilifolia
  • Pouteria tarapotensis
  • Pouteria tarumanensis
  • Pouteria tenuisepala
  • Pouteria torta Radlk.
  • Pouteria trigonosperma
  • Pouteria triplarifolia
  • Pouteria vernicosa
  • Pouteria villamilii
  • Pouteria virescens
  • Pouteria viridis Cronquist - Green sapote
  • Pouteria xerocarpa Baehni
  • Pouteria xylocarpa

Formerly placed here

Due to the uncertainty regarding its actual content, the number of synonyms of Pouteria is massive - at least when the genus is defined in the expanded sense:

  • Achradelpha O.F.Cook
  • Albertisiella Pierre ex Aubrév.
  • Aningeria Aubrév. & Pellegr.
  • Barylucuma Ducke
  • Beauvisagea Pierre
  • Beccarimnia Pierre ex Koord.
  • Blabea Baehni
  • Blabeia Baehni
  • Bureavella Pierre
  • Calocarpum Pierre
  • Calospermum Pierre
  • Caramuri Aubrév. & Pellegr.
  • Chaetocarpus Schreb.
  • Daphniluma Baill.
  • Discoluma Baill.
  • Dithecoluma Baill.
  • Eglerodendron Aubrév. & Pellegr.
  • Englerella Pierre
  • Eremoluma Baill.
  • Fontbrunea Pierre
  • Franchetella Pierre
  • Gayella Pierre
  • Gomphiluma Baill.
  • Guapeba Gomes
  • Hormogyne A.DC.
  • Ichthyophora Baehni
  • Iteiluma Baill.
  • Krausella H.J.Lam
  • Krugella Pierre
  • Labatia Sw.
  • Leioluma Baill.
  • Lucuma Molina
  • Maesoluma Baill.
  • Malacantha Pierre
  • Microluma Baill.
  • Myrsiniluma Baill.
  • Myrtiluma Baill.
  • Nemaluma Baill.
  • Neolabatia Aubrév.
  • Neoxythece Aubrév. & Pellegr.
  • Ochroluma Baill.
  • Oxythece Miq.
  • Paralabatia Pierre
  • Peteniodendron Lundell
  • Peuceluma Baill.
  • Piresodendron Aubrév. ex Le Thomas
  • Pleioluma Baill.
  • Podoluma Baill.
  • Poissonella Pierre
  • "Prozetia" Neck.
  • Pseudocladia Pierre
  • Pseudolabatia Aubrév. & Pellegr.
  • Pseudoxythece Aubrév.
  • Pyriluma Aubrév.
  • Radlkoferella Pierre
  • Richardella Pierre
  • Sandwithiodoxa Aubrév. & Pellegr.
  • Siderocarpus ierre
  • Syzygiopsis Ducke
  • Urbanella Pierre
  • Woikoia Baehni
  • Wokoia Baehni

In addition, the following genera are sometimes included in Pouteria too: