Pouteria sapota

"Abricó" redirects here. This may also refer to the apricot (Prunus armeniaca).

Mamey sapote
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Sapotaceae
Genus:	Pouteria
Species:	P. sapota
Binomial name
Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H. E. Moore & Stearn

The mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) is a species of tree native to southern Mexico. Today, the tree is cultivated not only in Mexico, but also in Central America, the Caribbean, and South Florida for its fruit, which is commonly eaten in many Latin American countries. Mamey sapote is a large and highly ornamental evergreen tree that can reach a height of 15 to 45 meters (60 to 140 feet) at maturity. Like most fruit trees, it is mainly propagated by grafting, which ensures the new plant has the same characteristics as the parent, especially its fruit. It is also considerably faster than growing trees by seed. The fruit is about 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 inches) long and 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 inches) wide and has orange flesh.

The fruit is eaten raw or made into milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream and fruit bars. Some consider the fruit to be an aphrodisiac.^{[citation needed]} Some beauty products use oil pressed from the seed^[1], otherwise known as sapayul oil^[2].

The brown skin has a texture somewhat between sandpaper and the fuzz on a peach. The fruit's texture is creamy and soft. A mamey sapote is ripe when the flesh is pink when a fleck of the skin is removed. The flesh should give slightly, as with a ripe kiwifruit.

The mamey sapote is related to other sapotes such as sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), abiu (P. caimito) and canistel (P. campechiana), but unrelated to the black sapote (Diospyros digyna) and white sapote (Casimiroa edulis). It should not be confused with the mammee apple (Mammea americana).

It has different names depending on the country: mamey, zapote colorado (Costa Rica), and zapote rojo (South America), among others.

See also

• Sapodilla

References and links

1. ^ Chadwick, Molly (11 January 2011). "Emerald Forest® Botanical Hair Care With Rainforest Sapayul Committes to More Natural Products With Introduction of Paraben Free Shampoos And Conditioners - Yahoo! News" (in English) (HTML). Encinitas, CA: PRWEB. http://news.yahoo.com/emerald-forest-botanical-hair-care-rainforest-sapayul-committes-20110111-070000-131.html. Retrieved 25 August 2011. "Sapayul oil comes from the seeds of Sapote, a fruit indigenous to the Central American rainforests and an ancient Mayan secret for beautiful, soft, and shiny hair." 
2. ^ Anita, Grant (14 December 2006). "Organic Sapote Seed Oil (inci: Pouteria Sapota, Zapote, Mamey Sapote, Zapayul, Sapayul)" (in English) (HTML). anitagrant.com's photostream. Flickr. https://secure.flickr.com/photos/anitagrant/322190060/. Retrieved 25 August 2011. "Organic Sapote Seed Oil (inci: Pouteria Sapota, Zapote, Mamey Sapote, Zapayul, Sapayul)" 

• TradeWinds Fruit: Mamey Sapote
• New Crop Resource Online Program: Sapote