Pouteria durlandii

Description

A tree. It grows 25 m high. It can have buttresses 2 m high. The bark is grey brown or reddish-brown. The leaves are 7.5-20 cm long. There are 7-14 pairs of secondary veins. The flowers are greenish-white. The fruit is 2-2.5 cm long. The fruit become yellow or orange when ripe. There are 1-2 seeds. The seed is 1.6-2.3 cm long.

Edible Uses

Many species, such as Pouteria sapota, 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 (P. caimito), are considered to be shipworm resistant, but this depends on the silica content, which may vary from 0.0-0.9%. The weight by volume (at 12% moisture content) of Pouteria wood can be in excess of 1140 kg/m3 (71 lb/ft3; thus, the wood sinks in water. The wood of Pouteria species is prone to considerable movement and warping when it dries out, but in its main use, naval construction, this is not a problem, since the wood never gets really dry. The vessel elements are relatively small and usually di- to quadriseriate; the medullary rays are fine and close together. Pouteria woods are capable of attaining an excellent polish using fine-grained sandpaper and possibly some wax. They can sometimes show an attractive figure of dark stripes against a sandy to mid-brown background colour. However, the wood is hardly used for furniture because it is so dense that items made from it would be difficult to transport. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to work using hand tools. Even using power tools, working these woods presents some problems, as well, but given some patience and practical knowledge, these can easily be solved. For the silica to be effective against shipworms, it needs to dry to some degree to harden. When the wood is continually waterlogged, this process may take place very slowly or not at all, leaving the wood vulnerable. Pouteria foliage is used as food by some Lepidoptera caterpillars, including those of the dalcerid moth Dalcera abrasa, which has been recorded on P. ramiflora. The fruits are important food for various animals, such as the rock-haunting ringtail possum (Petropseudes dahli). Due to habitat loss and in some cases overexploitation, many species of Pouteria are threatened. At least 10 are close to extinction.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are sweet and are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It occurs on wetter slopes. It grows in wet lowland rainforest. It can occur up to 850 m altitude.

Where It Grows

Amazon, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Peru, South America*, Venezuela,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seeds. The seeds are collected from ripe fruit that have been stored in a pike for a few days to allow them to partly decompose then washed out in running water. Seeds need to be planted fresh and in light shade. Seedlings emerge in 100-120 days.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A germination rate in excess of 80% can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 100 - 120 days.

Other Uses

The wood is fine-textured, straight-grained, moderately heavy, hard to cut, resistant to wood-eating organisms. It is suitable for exterior purposes, turned objects, window and door frames etc.

Production

Plants grow slowly.

Notes

There are about 150-320 Pouteria species. They grow in the tropics.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Abiu-mirim, Asipokoballi, Bapeba, Beyinca, Cauje, Couje, Huico, Kandawarumira, Maju'y, Mammey cedera, Menimo, Sacha aviyu, Tao po'so, Yaas, Yana aviyu, Zapotillo blanco, Typical chiapas pouteria

References (14)

• Grandtner, M. M., 2008, World Dictionary of Trees. Wood and Forest Science Department. Laval University, Quebec, Qc Canada. (Internet database http://www.wdt.qc.ca)
• Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 525
• Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 688
• Kew Plants of the World Online
• Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 51

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