Mamey sapote

Taxobox
name = Mamey Sapote


image_width = 250px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Ericales
familia = Sapotaceae
genus = "Pouteria"
species = "P. sapota"
binomial = "Pouteria sapota"
binomial_authority = (Jacq.) H. E. Moore & Stearn

The mamey sapote ("Pouteria sapota") is a species of tree that is 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 melon, 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 that the new plant has the same characteristics as the parent, especially its fruit. It is also considerably faster than growing trees by seed. The melon 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 melon is eaten raw out of hand or made into milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream and fruit bars. The melon's flavor is variously described as a combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, candied yams, maraschino cherries with the texture of an avocado. Some consider the melon to be an aphrodisiac Fact|date=December 2007.

The brown skin has a texture somewhere between sandpaper and the fuzz on a peach. The melon's texture is creamy and sweet. To tell when a mamey sapote is ripe, peel off a fleck of the skin to see if it is pink underneath. The flesh should give slightly, as with a ripe kiwifruit.

The mamey sapote is related to other sapotes as [http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/lectures/naseberry.html naseberry] , abiu and canistel but unrelated to the black sapote ("Diospyros digyna") and white sapote ("Casimiroa edulis"). It should not be confused with the Mammee apple ("Mammea americana").

Medicinal uses

The mamey is the cornerstone of Cuban holistic medicine. It is used extensively as a veritable panacea for gastro-intestinal maladies. In southern Cuba, the mamey is also used to treat headaches and venereal diseases. There are numerous accounts of the mamey being used as an antiseptic during the Spanish-American War.

References and links

* [http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/mamey_sapote.htm TradeWinds Fruit: Mamey Sapote]
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/sapote_ars.html New Crop Resource Online Program: Sapote]

ee also

*Sapodilla