Black sapote
Encyclopedia
Diospyros digyna, the Black Sapote, is a species of persimmon
that is native to eastern Mexico
and Central America
south to Colombia
. Other names include Chocolate Pudding Fruit, Chocolate Persimmon and (in Spanish
) Zapote Prieto.
. It is frost sensitive. The leaves
are elliptic-oblong, tapered at both ends, dark green, glossy, and 10–30 cm (3.9–11.8 in) long. The trees are dioecious, with individual trees bearing only female or male flowers.
Black Sapote fruit
are tomato
-like and measure 5–10 cm (2–3.9 in) in diameter, with an inedible skin that turns from olive to a deep yellow-green when ripe and an edible pulp that turns from white when unripe to a flavor, color and texture often likened to chocolate pudding
when ripe. The texture can be related to that of a papaya.
(Sapotaceae
), and the white sapote
(Rutaceae). In south Florida it is also sometimes confused with the Coco Fruit, a toxic relative that can cause insanity. .
Persimmon
A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
that is native to eastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
south to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Other names include Chocolate Pudding Fruit, Chocolate Persimmon and (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) Zapote Prieto.
Description
Mature trees can grow to over 25 m (82 ft) in height and are evergreenEvergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
. It is frost sensitive. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are elliptic-oblong, tapered at both ends, dark green, glossy, and 10–30 cm (3.9–11.8 in) long. The trees are dioecious, with individual trees bearing only female or male flowers.
Black Sapote fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
are tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
-like and measure 5–10 cm (2–3.9 in) in diameter, with an inedible skin that turns from olive to a deep yellow-green when ripe and an edible pulp that turns from white when unripe to a flavor, color and texture often likened to chocolate pudding
Chocolate pudding
Chocolate pudding is a class of dessert with chocolate flavors. There are two main types: a boiled then chilled, texturally a custard set with starch, version commonly eaten in the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and East and South East Asia; and a steamed/baked, texturally similar to cake, version that is...
when ripe. The texture can be related to that of a papaya.
Nomenclature
It is unrelated to the mamey sapoteMamey sapote
The mamey sapote is a species of tree native to southern Mexico. Today, the tree is cultivated not only in Mexico, but also in Central America, the Caribbean, and South Florida for its fruit, which is commonly eaten in many Latin American countries...
(Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae
Sapotaceae is a family of flowering plants, belonging to order Ericales. The family includes approximately 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in approximately 65 genera . Distribution is pantropical....
), and the white sapote
White sapote
White sapote, Casimiroa edulis, also known as cochitzapotl in the Nahuatl language is a species of tropical fruiting tree in the family Rutaceae, native to eastern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica....
(Rutaceae). In south Florida it is also sometimes confused with the Coco Fruit, a toxic relative that can cause insanity. .