Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. subsp. oliviforme

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Sapotaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. subsp. oliviforme

  • Synonyms

    Chrysophyllum cainito L., Chrysophyllum cainito var. microphyllum Jacq., Chrysophyllum microphyllum Jacq., Chrysophyllum acuminatum Willd. ex Roem. & Schult., Chrysophyllum acuminatum Willd. ex Roem. & Schult., Guersentia oliveformis Raf., Chrysophyllum ferrugineum C.F.Gaertn., Chrysophyllum oliviforme var. monopyrenum (Sw.) Griseb., Chrysophyllum monopyrenum var. microphyllon M.Gómez, Chrysophyllum oliviforme var. pallescens Urb., Chrysophyllum oliviforme var. platyphyllum Urb., Chrysophyllum brachycalyx Urb., Chrysophyllum pallescens Urb., Chrysophyllum platyphyllum Urb., Chrysophyllum claraense Urb., Chrysophyllum gonavense Urb., Chrysophyllum miragoaneum Urb., Cynodendron oliviforme (L.) Baehni

  • Description

    Subspecies Description - Leaves mostly more than 5 cm long, less than three times as long as broad; petiole 0.5-1(-1.7) cm long. Fascicles 5-10-flowered. Field characters. A shrub or small tree to 8 m high and 10 cm diam. with greyish-brown deeply fissured bark, exuding milky latex. The flowers are greenish-yellow or greenish-white and the fruit matures purple to black. Flowering Jui to Feb (throughout the range), fruiting Nov to Mar.

  • Discussion

    The ripe fruit is eaten (Dominican Republic).

  • Common Names

    caimito, caimitillo, star apple, tela de burra, wild star apple

  • Distribution

    U.S.A. (Florida), Bahama Archipelago, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico. A species of tropical hardwood hammocks (Florida) and dry woodland or scrub over limestone from sea level to 1200 m altitude. Also recorded from disturbed pine forest in Dominican Republic.

    Florida United States of America North America| United States of America North America| Grand Bahama Bahamas South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| West Indies| Puerto Rico South America| Dominican Republic South America|