Chrysophyllum argenteum

Jacq.

Lechecillo

Sapotaceae Edible: Fruit 189 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Summary

Chrysophyllum argenteum is a tree in the family Sapotaceae, native to the tropical Americas.

Description

A tree. It grows 5-8 m tall. The trunk is 10-20 cm across. The leaves vary in shape. They are oblong and are silvery grey underneath. They are alternate and 8-12 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. The flowers are bell shaped and greenish-yellow. They are in clusters at the base of the leaves. The fruit is the size of a plum. The pulp is bluish.

Edible Uses

The fruit is milky and edible, eaten especially by children.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are milky and edible.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The heated bark is used as a medication on sores.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in semi-evergreen seasonal forest. It is often by rivers. It grows on moist limestone soils.

Where It Grows

Amazon, Antigua, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hispaniola, Honduras, Martinique, Montserrat, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, South America, St Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, West Indies,

Cultivation

Plants can flower and fruit all year round.

Other Uses

The wood with light brown sapwood is reported to be hard, heavy, strong, tough, and durable. It is used chiefly for making posts and is utilized in construction and carpentry. The wood is used for making charcoal.

Other Information

The fruit are eaten especially by children.

Notes

There are about 80-150 Chrysophyllum species. They are mostly in tropical America. There are 44 species in tropical America.

Synonyms

Chrysophyllum dubium Steud.Chrysophyllum glabrum Jacq.Chrysophyllum immersum Urb.and others

Also Known As

Ayu wanpula, Bwi, Bwi kayamit, Caimito blanco, Caimito de mono, Ko piwa du chi, Kucha aviyu, Milky iron, Turu aviyu, Urku aviyu, Wild kaimit

References (17)

Barfod, A. S. & Kvist, L. P., 1996, Comparative Ethnobotanical Studies of the Amerindian Groups in Coastal Ecuador. The Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. p 79
Condit, R., et al, 2011, Trees of Panama and Costa Rica. Princeton Field Guides. p 434
Ekman Herbarium records Haiti
Enum. syst. pl. 15. 1760 (Select. stirp. amer. hist. 53, t. 38, fig. 1. 1763)
Ferns, Useful Tropical Plants

Show all 17 references

Fouqué, A., 1972, Espèces fruitières d'Amérique tropicale. Institut français de recherches fruitierès outre-mer (ifac)
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 129
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 188
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 188 (As Chrysophyllum glabrum)
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 222
Little, E. L. & Wadsworth, F. H., 1964, Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 249
Miguel, E., et al, 1989, A checklist of the cultivated plants of Cuba. Kulturpflanze 37. 1989, 211-357
Penafield Anchundia, D. D., 2017, Traditional food consumption and its nutritional contribution in Guasaganda, Central Ecuador. PhD Ghent University p 72
Plants of Haiti Smithsonian Institute http://botany.si.edu/antilles/West Indies
Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
Torre, de la, L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 569