Pouteria caimito (Ruiz & Pav.) Radlk.
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Authority
Pennington, Terence D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52: 1-750. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Sapotaceae
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Scientific Name
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Synonyms
Achras caimito Ruiz & Pav., Guapeba laurifolia Gomes, Lucuma temare Kunth, Lucuma caimito (Ruiz & Pav.) Roem. & Schult., Labatia caimito Mart., Labatia reticulata Mart., Labatia lasiocarpa Mart., Guapeba brasiliensis Steud., Achras guapeba Casar., Lucuma laurifolia A.DC., Lucuma laurifolia var. reticulata A.DC., Lucuma lasiocarpa (Mart.) A.DC., Pouteria laurifolia (Gomes) Radlk., Pouteria lasiocarpa (Mart.) Radlk., Richardella temare (Kunth) Pierre, Guapeba caimito Pierre, Guapeba lasiocarpa Pierre, Pouteria caimito var. laurifolia (Gomes) Baehni, Pouteria leucophaea Baehni, Pouteria temare (Kunth) Aubrév.
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Description
Species Description - Tree; young shoots glabrous to coarsely pubescent, soon glabrous, pale greyish-white to dark brown, scaling, usually without lenticels. Leaves loosely clustered or spaced, spirally arranged, (3-)5-18(-25) × 1.7-5(-8) cm, oblanceolate or elliptic, apex narrowly attenuate, rarely acute or rounded, base narrowly attenuate or acute, sometimes decurrent, usually chartaceous, usually glabrous, rarely shortly pubescent; venation usually eucamptodromous, less frequently brochidodromous, marginal vein present, midrib flat or slightly raised on the upper surface, secondary veins 8-13(-16) pairs, nearly always convergent and arcuate; intersecondaries short or well-developed, or absent; tertiaries few, oblique to reticulate; fine quaternary reticulum conspicuous on lower surface (lens). Petiole (0.2-)0.5-1.5(-2.3) cm long, usually not channelled, usually glabrous, less frequently shortly pubescent. Fascicles l-3(-5)-flowered, axillary and below the leaves, sometimes densely clustered. Pedicel 0-2 mm long, appressed puberulous to glabrous. Flowers bisexual. Sepals four, 3-5.5 mm long, broadly ovate or elliptic, apex acute to obtuse, sparsely strigose outside, or outer pair glabrous, all glabrous inside. Corolla tubular, usually swollen at the middle, 4-7.5 mm long, tube 3-5 mm long, lobes four, 1.5-2.5 mm long, broadly oblong to suborbicular, apex rounded or truncate, usually ciliate. Stamens four, fused about halfway up the corolla tube or slightly lower; filaments 2-3 mm long, traces often visible to base of corolla tube, glabrous; anthers 0.5-1.3 mm long, broadly lanceolate to ovate, sometimes apiculate, glabrous. Staminodes four, 1-1.5 mm long, narrowly lanceolate or subulate, glabrous. Disk absent. Ovary shortly ovoid, four-locular, densely long-strigose; style 3.5-8.5 mm long after anthesis, usually slightly exserted, glabrous; style-head simple or minutely lobed. Fruit 2.7-7.5 cm long, narrowly ellipsoid, ovoid or globose, apex acute to rounded, base rounded to truncate, smooth, pubescent, velutinous or glabrous. Seeds 1-4, 1.5-5 cm long, oblong to ellipsoid, often slightly laterally compressed, base and apex usually rounded or obtuse, testa smooth, usually glossy, 0.3-1 mm thick; scar adaxial, full-length, 1-6 mm wide (often broader in cultivated strains with large seeds); embryo with plano-convex, free cotyledons, radicle extending to the surface; endosperm absent. Field characters. Tree to 30 m high and 50 cm diam., but usually fertile when much smaller. Trunk of larger specimens fluted, bark dark reddish-brown to greyish-brown, scaling and shallowly fissured; slash cream with scanty white latex. Flowers pale green, with slight scent, fruit maturing yellow with whitish translucent flesh. Flowering throughout most of its range, (except in coastal Brazil) Aug-Nov, with the great majority in Sep; in coastal Brazil flowering occurs Dec to Jan. It is not clear whether there is a well defined season for mature fruit, as fruit at all stages of development can be found throughout the year.
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Discussion
This species provides one of the best edible sapotaceous fruits, and although the quality de- pends a lot on the variety, the best are said to be delicious. It is widely cultivated in Amazonia, and sold in the local markets. It is also very commonly grown in Ecuador and Peru. Although reaching large sizes in the forest, it fruits as a small bush several metres high.
Distribution and Ecology: Due to the extensive cultivation of this species, the true natural distribution is uncertain, but apparently wild collections are recorded from Costa Rica across N and NW tropical America to central Amazonia, and also in coastal Brazil from Pernambuco to Rio de Janeiro. It occurs in a wide range of forest types, but is especially common on periodically flooded land in lowland tropical rain forest, seasonal evergreen rain forest, and in wet montane forest. In coastal Brazil it is found in beach forest (restinga). Its altitudinal range is sea level to 1500 m, rarely to 1800 metres.
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Common Names
Abio, Abiu, Abiurana, abiurana aquariquara, abiurana do caranazal, Abiurana vermelha, arbol de purma, asipoca, Asipokoballi, auinaquina, caimitillo, caimito, caimo, cajui, cajure, cauje, madura verde, melaito, purgo, queo, quinilla, sacha quinilla, temare, temure, toa, wilaka, yarazo, yellow star apple, ymaad, zolive
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Objects
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Distribution
Costa Rica South America| Guanacaste Costa Rica Central America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Nariño Colombia South America| Putumayo Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Distrito Federal Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Ecuador South America| Carchi Ecuador South America| Guayas Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| Pasco Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Ucayali Peru South America|