University of Florida Plant Information Black Sapote Growing in the Florida Home Landscape

Scientific Name: Diospyros digyna

Common Names: black sapote and black persimmon (English), sapote negro, zapote prieto, and matasano de mico (Spanish)

Family: Ebenaceae

Relatives: persimmon, velvet apple

Origin: Mexico, Central America, and western South America

Distribution: Tropical and subtropical Latin America, the Philippines, Moluccas Islands, Sulawesi Island, and North America.

History: Black sapote was consumed by indigenous people in Mexico and Central America and distributed by the Spanish to the Caribbean and Asia.

Importance: Black sapote is not widely grown. It is usually consumed by local people who are familiar with the fruit.

1. This document is HS1055, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date November 2005. Revised October 2006 and November 2016. Reviewed December 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Jonathan H. Crane, professor and tropical fruit crop specialist, Tropical Research and Education Center; and Carlos F. Balerdi, professor and multicounty tropical fruit crops Extension agent (retired), UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.