University of Florida Plant Information Mamey Sapote: Growing in the Florida Home Landscape

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Scientific name: Pouteria sapota (Jacq.) H.E. Moore & Stearn

Other common names: sapote, mamey colorado

Synonyms: Calocarpum sapota (Jacq.) Merr., Calocarpum mammosum (L.) Pierre

Family: Sapotaceae Relatives in same family: sapodilla, satin leaf, caimito, canistel, abiu, green sapote.

Origin: Mexico and the Central American lowlands

Distribution: Mamey sapotes (Plate 1) have been grown or cultivated in Central America, Mexico, northern South America, and the West Indies for centuries. The first recorded introduction into southern Florida was during the mid-1880s.

Importance: The mamey sapote is an important fruit in Miami-Dade, Florida (US), Mexico, Central America, and in the West Indies—including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In the state of Florida, Cuban Americans and Central Americans have helped to establish a small but viable industry. Except for the Americas, this very attractive and excellent fruit is not well-known, probably because its short-lived seeds may have discouraged intercontinental transport in colonial times. Recently, there is increasing interest in this fruit in other countries (e.g., Australia, China, Israel, Philippines, Vietnam, Spain, Venezuela).