Pouteria triplarifolia P.H.Allen ex T.D.Penn.
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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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Type
Type. Costa Rica. Puntarenas: Palmar Norte, trail to Buenos Aires, Feb 1951 (fr), Allen 5907 (holotype, GH; isotypes, BM, F, US).
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Synonyms
Pouteria triplarifolia P.H.Allen ex T.D.Penn.
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Description
Latin Diagnosis - Arbor; ramuli novelli initio dense crispatopuberuli, mox glabri, pallide cinerascenti-brunnei, squamati et centuriato modo rimas ducens, lenticellate Folia congesta, spiraliter disposita, 18.5-21 × 6.4-8.4 cm, oblongo-elliptica vel oblanceolata, apice breviter et obtuse cuspidata, basi obtusa usque rotundata, tenuiter coriacea, glabra; venatio eucamptodroma; costa supra ele-vata; nervus marginalis praesens; nervi secundarii 16-19-jugi, paralleli, pleurumque recti; nervi intersecundarii longitudine variabili vel nulli; nervi tertiarii obscuri, obliqui; nervi quatemarii obscuri, subtiliter areolati. Petiolus 1.5-2 cm longus, non canaliculata, pubescens. Fasciculi sub foliis dispositi. Flores sessiles. Sepala 7-8, arcta spira disposita, sepala externa ca. 1 mm longa, sepala interna ca. 5 mm longa, suborbicu-laria usque late ovata, apice rotundata, in su-perficiebus ambabus adpresse puberula. Corolla, stamina, etc. non visa. Fructus 4-4.5 cm longus, late ovoideus, apice obtusus, basi truncatus, pari-ete tenui, in sicco corrugatus, subtiliter asperus et furfuraceus. Semen non visum.
Species Description - Tree; young shoots densely crisped-pubescent at first, soon glabrous, pale greyish-brown, scaling and grid-cracked, without lenticels. Leaves clustered, spirally arranged, 18.5-21 × 6.4-8.4 cm, oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, apex shortly and obtusely cuspidate, base obtuse to rounded, thinly coriaceous, glabrous; venation eucamptodromous, midrib raised on the upper surface, marginal vein present, secondary veins 16-19 pairs, parallel, mostly straight; intersecondaries variable in length, or absent; tertiaries obscure, oblique; quaternaries obscure, finely areolate. Petiole 1.5-2 cm long, not channelled, pubescent. Fascicles below the leaves. Flowers sessile. Sepals 7-8, in a close spiral, outer ca. 1 mm long, innermost ca. 5 mm long, suborbicular to broadly ovate, apex rounded, appressed puberulous on both surfaces. Corolla, stamens, etc. not seen. Fruit 4-4.5 cm long, broadly ovoid, apex obtuse, base truncate, thin-walled, wrinkling on drying, skin minutely roughened and scurfy. Seed not examined. Field characters. Tree to 20 m high with shiny dark green leaves; abundant white latex in all parts of the plant; wood hard, pink and heavy. Fruit with pale brown skin. Fruiting in Feb.
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Discussion
The fruit is edible when ripe.
Distribution and Ecology: Known with certainty only from the type collection from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, where it is occasional in the wet hill forest near the coast, up to ca. 600 m altitude. One further collection (Poveda & Saenz 1282), from the same locality, possibly belongs in this species.
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Common Names
sapote
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Objects
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Distribution
Costa Rica South America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America|