History
Sapodilla, whose scientific name is Manilkara zapota van Royen, is believed to originate from the warm, humid regions of Central America and southern Mexico. The sapodilla tree quickly spread throughout tropical America and the Caribbean, and later, during the colonial era, to Africa, Asia, and subtropical regions of the world.
The entire tree contains a white latex. This latex, known to the Maya, was used as chewing gum. In fact, chicle, the base ingredient of early chewing gum, was extracted from it.
Varieties
The number of varieties is unknown, though they are believed to be numerous, differing in whether the fruit is round or oval, and whether the edible flesh ranges from whitish to brown.
The sapodilla tree, with its rounded crown and horizontal lower branches, can reach up to 25 meters in height. It can produce 2,000 to 3,000 fruits per year. There is no specific season, so the fruit is produced year‑round.
Its oval‑elliptic leaves cluster at the tips of the branches. The tree is highly tolerant of drought.
The trunk rarely exceeds 80 cm in diameter.
The small, solitary white flower grows at the leaf axil. It develops into a brown fruit, globular to oval in shape. Its thin skin is covered with a brown film that can be scratched with a finger to check ripeness: if the skin underneath is green, the fruit is unripe; if it is yellow‑brown, it is ready to pick.
As with the star apple, the fruit must be very soft before eating; otherwise, the latex will stick to the lips.
The pulp, pale yellow‑brown to greenish‑brown, is melting, juicy, very sweet, and fragrant. It contains 1 to 12 elongated black seeds.
The fruit measures 3 to 8 cm in length. Fruiting occurs almost all year, as does flowering.
Medicinal properties
The sapodilla tree has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. It is known mainly in subtropical regions for its therapeutic properties: analgesic, anti‑inflammatory, sedative, hypotensive, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and cholesterol‑lowering.
It is used to relieve pain associated with rheumatism.
To effectively treat diarrhea and dysentery, a decoction is made from young fruit that has been previously boiled.
It is recommended for treating lung ailments, as well as colds and coughs. It can even help reduce fever.
It is reported that it may eliminate kidney stones from the bladder and help lower blood pressure.
Externally, a paste made from the seeds is applied to treat bites and stings from venomous animals.
In some tropical regions, the latex extracted from the plant is said to be used to fill dental cavities.
Uses
In Martinique, the fruit is mainly eaten fresh, but it can also be cooked to make jam.
