sapodilla, the edible fruit of Manilkara zapota (formerly Achras zapota), of the family Sapotaceae. The fleshy, brown fruit is the size of a small tomato, and has the flavor and texture of cinnamon, apple, and pear. The fruits are very astringent when young and must be fully ripened and soft to be eaten. The latex of the sapodilla plant is also the source of chicle chicle , name for the gum obtained from the latex of the sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota), a tropical American evergreen. The sapodilla (known also by many other common names) is widely cultivated in tropical regions, including S Florida, for its fruit, which
..... Click the link for more information. , the chewing gum of the Aztecs. Another species, M. bidentata, produces a latex that is the source of balata, a non-elastic rubber that is used for manufacturing boots, machine belts, and items in tropical South America. Sapodilla is classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta , division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Ebenales, family Sapotaceae.
Tropical evergreen tree (Manilkara zapota) of the family Sapotaceae, native to southern Mexico and northern Central America, and its distinctive fruit. The rusty-brown fruit is eaten fresh in many tropical and subtropical areas. Its sweet flavour has been compared to a combination of pears and brown sugar. When the fruit is ripe, its shiny black seeds are surrounded by clear, yellowish brown, juicy flesh; when immature, its flesh contains both tannin and milky latex and is distasteful. The latex is the chief source of gum chicle, once important in the chewing-gum industry.
Sapodilla
..... Click the link for more information. , the chewing gum of the Aztecs. Another species, M. bidentata, produces a latex that is the source of balata, a non-elastic rubber that is used for manufacturing boots, machine belts, and items in tropical South America. Sapodilla is classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta , division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Ebenales, family Sapotaceae.
sapodilla
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Sapodilla (Manilkara, or Achras, zapota)
(credit: Walter Dawn)
Sapodilla
(Manilkara achras, Manilkara zapota, or Achras zapota), a plant of the family Sapotaceae. An evergreen tree measuring 15–20 m tall, the sapodilla has ovate or elliptic leathery leaves and small, white flowers. The rounded or oval fruits, which measure 5–10 cm across, contain ten to 12 hard black seeds and have sweet and juicy yellow-brown flesh. The sapodilla grows in tropical rain forests of Central and South America; it is cultivated in all tropical countries as a fruit and industrial plant. The milky juice obtained from the bark contains 20–25 percent of a substance closely related to gutta-percha, which is used to manufacture chewing gum.
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