Pouteria calistophylla (Standl.) Baehni

  • Authority

    Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Sapotaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pouteria calistophylla (Standl.) Baehni

  • Synonyms

    Lucuma calistophylla Standl.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree, young shoots finely appressed puberulous with golden hairs, indumentum persistent, twigs striate, pale brown, usually with some lenticels. Leaves spaced, spirally arranged, 18-35 × 7-11 cm, usually broadly oblanceolate, less frequently elliptic, apex narrowly attenuate or obtuse and finally long acuminate, base long-tapering, finally narrowly attenuate or cuneate, margin slightly revolute, coriaceous, upper surface glabrous, except for residual indumentum on the midrib, lower surface pale or golden appressed-puberulous, indumentum persisting; venation eucamptodromous, midrib flat or slightly raised on the upper surface, secondary veins 12-22 pairs, parallel or slightly convergent, straight or slightly arcuate; intersecondaries short or absent; tertiaries few, oblique; fine quaternary areolate network visible on the upper surface. Petiole 2-3 cm long, not channelled, appressed puberulous. Fascicles 15-20-flowered, axillary. Pedicel 6-9 mm long, appressed-puberulous. Flowers ? bisexual. Sepals five, ca. 1.5 mm long, broadly ovate or suborbicular, apex obtuse or rounded, spreading widely, appressed puberulous outside, glabrous inside, ciliate. Corolla (immature bud) ca. 1.5 mm long, tube ca. 0.5 mm long, lobes five, ca. 1.5 mm long, broadly ovate, apex rounded, glabrous, ciliate. Stamens five, fixed near the top of the corolla tube, filaments ca. 0.3 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 0.5 mm long, lanceolate, glabrous. Staminodes five, ca. 0.6 mm long, lanceolate-subulate, glabrous. Disk absent. Ovary ovoid, longitudinally ribbed, unilocular; style ca. 0.5 mm long, glabrous; style-head simple. Fruit 3-3.5 cm long, ellipsoid, apex obtuse or rounded, base obtuse, leathery-fleshy, smooth, sparsely and finely appressed puberulous. Seed solitary, ca. 2.5 cm long, ellipsoid, apex acute, base rounded, not laterally compressed, testa smooth, shining, 0.5-1 mm thick; scar adaxial, full length, 1-1.1 cm broad, embryo with plano-convex, free cotyledons; radicle extending to the surface. Field characters. Tree to 20 m high and 40 cm diam. with short buttresses and slightly fluted bole. Bark greyish-brown, shallowly fissured or cracked; slash pink, with some white latex. The lower surface of the leaves is pale or greyish-green. Flowers creamy yellow, fruit maturing pale green, with copious latex in the pericarp. Flowering Aug to Oct, fruit maturing Feb to Apr.

  • Common Names

    mameicillo, sapotillo Colorado

  • Distribution

    Costa Rica and Panama in lowland rain forest around 200 m altitude.

    Costa Rica South America| Alajuela Costa Rica Central America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Bocas del Toro Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America|