Pouteria

"Eggfruit" redirects here; not to be confused with the Eggplant (Solanum melongena).

Pouteria
Canistel (P. campechiana)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Sapotaceae
Subfamily:	Chrysophylloideae
Genus:	Pouteria Aubl.[1]
Species
Many, see text
Synonyms
Many, see text

Pouteria is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical regions of the world. It includes the Canistel (P. campechiana), the Mamey Sapote (P. sapota) and the Lúcuma (P. splendens). Commonly, this genus is known as pouteria trees or, in some cases, eggfruits.

Pouteria is related to Manilkara, another genus that produces hard and heavy woods (e.g. Balatá, M. bidentata) much used in heavy or outdoors construction, as well as edible fruit (such as Sapodilla, M. zapota).

Uses

Many species, like Pouteria maclayana^[2] have edible fruits and are important foods seasonally. Some are being commercially collected and sold on local markets or packed in tin cans.

Pouteria species yield hard, heavy, resilient woods used as firewood, timber, but particularly in outdoor and naval construction, such as dock pilings, deckings, etc. Some species like abiu (P. caimito), are considered to be shipworm resistant; however, this depends on the silica content which may vary from 0-0.9%. The weight by volume (at 12% moisture content) of Pouteria wood can be in excess of 1140 kilograms per cubic metre (71 pounds per cubic feet); thus, the wood sinks in water. The wood of Pouteria species is apt to considerable movement and warping when they dry out. But in its main use, naval construction, this is not a problem, since the wood never gets really dry.

The vessel elements are relatively small and usually 2-4-seriate; the medullary rays are fine and close together. Pouteria woods are capable of attaining an excellent polish using fine-grained sandpaper and possibly some wax. They can sometimes show an attractive figure of dark stripes against a sandy to mid-brown background colour. However, the wood is hardly used for furniture because it is so dense that items made from it would be difficult to transport. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to work using hand tools. Even using power tools, working these woods presents some problems as well, but given some patience and practical knowledge, these can easily be solved.

What does present a problem is that in order for the silica to be effective against shipworms it needs to dry to some degree in order to harden. When the wood is continually waterlogged this process may take place very slowly or not at all, leaving the wood vulnerable.

Pouteria foliage is used as food by some Lepidoptera caterpillars, including those of the dalcerid moth Dalcera abrasa which has been recorded on P. ramiflora. The fruits are important food for various animals, such as the Rock-haunting Ringtail Possum (Petropseudes dahli).

Due to habitat loss and in some cases overexploitation, many species of Pouteria are threatened. At least about 10 are close to extinction, and one – the Rio de Janeiro Pouteria (P. stenophylla), which grew near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil – is now extinct.

Systematics and taxonomy

Pouteria is a "wastebasket taxon", and its size is continually being expanded or decreased. The segregate Labatia, described by Olof Swartz in 1788 and named after the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Labat, was maintained as a distinct entity until the 1930s, when it was finally synonymized with Pouteria for good. Most segregate genera that were eventually merged with Pouteria again were established by Henri Ernest Baillon and Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre.^[1]

Selected species

Fruits of P. ramiflora

Pouteria adolfi-friedericii Pouteria altissima Pouteria amapaensis Pouteria amygdalina Pouteria andarahiensis Pouteria anteridata Pouteria arcuata Pouteria areolatifolia Pouteria arguacoensium Pouteria aristata Pouteria arnhemica (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Baehni Pouteria atabapoensis Pouteria austin-smithii Pouteria australis (R.Br.) Baehni Pouteria bapeba Pouteria beaurepairei Pouteria belizensis Pouteria benai Pouteria bonneriana Pouteria bracteata Pouteria brevensis Pouteria brevipedicellata Pouteria brevipetiolata Pouteria briocheoides Pouteria brownlessiana (F.Muell.) Baehni Pouteria buenaventurensis Pouteria bullata Pouteria butyrocarpa Pouteria caimito – Abiu, abiurana ferro Pouteria calistophylla Pouteria campechiana – Canistel, Yellow Sapote, coztic-zapote, cây trứng gà or lekima (Vietnamese) Pouteria canaimaensis Pouteria capacifolia Pouteria cayennensis Pouteria chartacea (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Baehni Pouteria chiricana Pouteria chocoensis Pouteria cicatricata Pouteria cinnamomea Pouteria coelomatica Pouteria collina Pouteria congestifolia Pouteria contermina Pouteria costata – Tawāpou, Bastard Ironwood Pouteria crassiflora Pouteria cubensis Pouteria cuspidata (A.DC.) Baehni Pouteria danikeri Pouteria decussata

Pouteria eerwah (F.M.Bailey) Baehni – Shiny-leaved Condoo, Black Plum, "wild apple" (Australia) Pouteria espinae Pouteria euryphylla Pouteria euphlebia (F.Muell.) Baehni Pouteria exstaminodia Pouteria filiformis Pouteria fossicola Pouteria foveolata Pouteria franciscana Pouteria fulva Pouteria furcata Pouteria gabrielensis Pouteria gigantea Pouteria glauca Pouteria gracilis Pouteria grandiflora Pouteria guianensis Aubl. Pouteria hotteana Pouteria howeana (F.Muell.) Baehni Pouteria izabalensis Pouteria juruana Pouteria kaalaensis Pouteria kaieteurensis Pouteria krukovii Pouteria latianthera Pouteria leptopedicellata Pouteria longifolia Pouteria lucens Pouteria lucuma – Lúcuma, Lucumo Pouteria macahensis Pouteria maclayana (F.Muell.) Baehni Pouteria macrocarpa Pouteria maguirei Pouteria melanopoda Pouteria micrantha Pouteria microstrigosa Pouteria minima Pouteria moaensis Pouteria multiflora – Broad-leaved Lacuma, "bully tree" Pouteria myrsinoides (F.Muell.) Jessup Pouteria myrsinodendron (F.Muell.) Jessup Pouteria nemorosa Pouteria nudipetala Pouteria obovata (R.Br.) Baehni Pouteria oppositifolia Pouteria orinocoensis Pouteria oxypetala Pouteria pachycalyx Pouteria pachyphylla Pouteria pallens

Pouteria pallida Pouteria peduncularis Pouteria penicillata Pouteria peruviensis Pouteria petiolata Pouteria pimichinensis Pouteria pinifolia Pouteria pisquiensis Pouteria platyphylla Pouteria pohlmaniana (F.Muell.) Baehni Pouteria polysepala Pouteria psammophila Pouteria pseudoracemosa Pouteria puberula Pouteria pubescens Pouteria putamen-ovi Pouteria retinervis Pouteria rhynchocarpa Pouteria ramiflora (Mart.) Radlk. Pouteria richardii (F.Muell.) Baehni Pouteria rigidopsis Pouteria rodriguesiana Pouteria rufotomentosa Pouteria sagotiana Pouteria sandwicensis (A.Gray) Baehni & O.Deg. – ʻĀlaʻa (Hawaiʻi)[3] Pouteria sapota – Mamey Sapote, abricó (Portuguese), "mammee apple" Pouteria sclerocarpa Pouteria scrobiculata Pouteria semecarpifolia Pouteria sericea Pouteria sessilis Pouteria silvestris Pouteria sipapoensis Pouteria splendens Pouteria squamosa Pouteria stenophylla – Rio de Janeiro Pouteria (extinct) Pouteria subsessilifolia Pouteria tarapotensis Pouteria tarumanensis Pouteria tenuisepala Pouteria torta (Mart.) Radlk. Pouteria trigonosperma Pouteria triplarifolia Pouteria vernicosa Pouteria villamilii Pouteria virescens Pouteria viridis (Pittier) Cronquist – Green Sapote Pouteria xerocarpa (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Baehni Pouteria xylocarpa

Formerly placed here

• Englerophytum magalismontanum (as P. magalismontana)
• Synsepalum dulcificum (Miracle Fruit, as P. dulcifica)

Synonyms

Due to the uncertainty regarding its actual content, the number of synonyms of Pouteria is massive – at least when the genus is defined in the expanded sense:^[1]

Achradelpha O.F.Cook Albertisiella Pierre ex Aubrév. Aningeria Aubrév. & Pellegr. Barylucuma Ducke Beauvisagea Pierre Beccarimnia Pierre ex Koord. Blabea Baehni Blabeia Baehni Bureavella Pierre Calocarpum Pierre Calospermum Pierre Caramuri Aubrév. & Pellegr. Chaetocarpus Schreb. (non Thwaites: preoccupied) Daphniluma Baill. Discoluma Baill. Dithecoluma Baill. Eglerodendron Aubrév. & Pellegr. Englerella Pierre Eremoluma Baill. Fontbrunea Pierre Franchetella Pierre Gayella Pierre Gomphiluma Baill. Guapeba Gomes Hormogyne A.DC. Ichthyophora Baehni Iteiluma Baill. Krausella H.J.Lam Krugella Pierre Labatia Sw. Leioluma Baill.

Lucuma Molina Maesoluma Baill. Malacantha Pierre Microluma Baill. Myrsiniluma Baill. Myrtiluma Baill. Nemaluma Baill. Neolabatia Aubrév. Neoxythece Aubrév. & Pellegr. Ochroluma Baill. Oxythece Miq. Paralabatia Pierre Peteniodendron Lundell Peuceluma Baill. Piresodendron Aubrév. ex Le Thomas Pleioluma Baill. Podoluma Baill. Poissonella Pierre "Prozetia" Neck. (nom. inval.) Pseudocladia Pierre Pseudolabatia Aubrév. & Pellegr. Pseudoxythece Aubrév. Pyriluma (Baill.) Aubrév. Radlkoferella Pierre Richardella Pierre Sandwithiodoxa Aubrév. & Pellegr. Siderocarpus ierre Syzygiopsis Ducke Urbanella Pierre Woikoia Baehni Wokoia Baehni

In addition, the following genera are sometimes included in Pouteria too:^[1]

• "Beccariella" Pierre (non Cesati: preoccupied)
• Boerlagella Cogn.
• Planchonella Pierre
• Sersalisia R.Br.
• Van-royena Aubrév.

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} USDA (2009)
2. ^ Paper from the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
3. ^ Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989) (PDF). ʻĀlaʻa. United States Forest Service. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/data/CommonTreesHI/CFT_Pouteria%20sandwicensis.pdf. 

References

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (1996): Germplasm Resources Information Network – Pouteria. Version of 2009-Mar-31. Retrieved 2009-Nov-15.