Casimiroa sapota

Oerst.

Woolly-leafed white sapote

Rutaceae Edible: Fruit 2,351 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A tree. It grows to 12 m high. They leaves are velvety white on the underside. The flowers have 4 parts. The fruit are 11 cm wide and oval or irregular in shape. They have a rough pitted skin. The flesh is somewhat bitter.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw or made into milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream, and paletas. It can be used to produce marmalade and jelly. Some beauty products use oil pressed from the seed, otherwise known as sapayul oil.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is native to Central America. In Central America it grows from sea level to 1,450 m altitude.

Where It Grows

Central America, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America,

Notes

There are 5 Casimiroa species.

Synonyms

Possibly now Casimiroa edulis

Also Known As

Arbol maco, Iztactzopotl, Matasano, Zopote blanco

References (7)

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1916
Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 91
Chizmar Fernandez, C., et al, 2009, Plantas comestibles de Centroamerica. Instituto de Biodiversidad, Costa Rica. p 283
Segura, S., et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)

Show all 7 references

Vidensk. Meddel. Dansk Naturhist. Foren. Kjobenhavn 1857:187. 1857
Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 149