Edible Plants of the World

South American sapote

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It is native to NW South America. It grows in humid tropical and subtropical regions. It suits areas with lots of rain. It can grow in soils which are occasionally flooded. It grows in regions with 1,500-4,000 mm rain per year. It grows in rainforest areas on fertile soils. It grows naturally in the upper Amazon regions of Peru, Brazil and Ecuador. In the Andes it grows between 500-1,500 m above sea level.

Also known as:

Apashi, Apasi, Bocanhue, Chupa-chupa, Cordate matisia, Mame colorado, Matisia, Menehue, Naso apashi, Numiollamihe, Patintoqui, Sapote de monte, Sapote-do-salimoes, Sapote muyo, Sapote Sapotillo, Saput, Zapote de monte

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does South American sapote grow?

Found in: Amazon, Andes, Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Galapagos, Guatemala, Hawaii, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, South America, United States, Venezuela

Notes: Also put in the family Bombacaceae. It has 2,400 micrograms of carotene per 100 g of pulp.

Status: It is a cultivated plant. Fruit are sold in markets.

Growing South American sapote

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. The seeds are collected fro ripe fruit and the pulp removed by allowing them to partly decompose then washing under running water. Seed should be planted fresh. They are best in light shade. Seedlings emerge in 20-30 days.

Edible Uses: The fruit are eaten raw or stewed to make drinks. They can be used to extract starch.

Production: Plants grow rapidly. Trees 5 years old can produce fruit. Between 700-1,000 fruit can be produced per tree. A fruit weighs between 300-400 g. Fruit mature in 270-300 days.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Fruit 20 0.13 0.4 - 9.7 - 85.3

References

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