Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Manilkara zapota (L.) P.Royen (SAPOTACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Sapodilla, Chiku, Chicle

Description

Medium-sized evergreen tree to 30 m tall with dense crown. Leaves clustered at the shoot tips, 7.5-11.3 cm long, elliptic. Flowers pale green, clustered along axils of leaves. Fruits 5-10 cm long, rounded, oval or ellipsoid, brown.

Distribution

Cultivated since ancient times, believe native in Yucatan and possibly S Mexico, as well as Belize and NE Guatemala. Widely cultivated in the tropics as a fruit tree.

Uses

Fruits are edible and sweet. Many prominent cultivars are developed with varying fruit sizes and flavours.