SAPODILLA FAMILY (SAPOTACEAE) 



Key to the 10 species illustrated (Nos. 205-214) 



A. Leaves with many straight, parallel side veins nearly at right angle to midrib. 

 B. Leaves small, less than 314 inches long; fruits elliptic, inedible. 



C. Leaves abruptly short-pointed ; the lower surface reddish brown, finely silky hairy — 211. MicrophoUs 



chrysophylloides. 

 CC. Leaves rounded or slightly notched at apex, green on both surfaces, becoming hairless or nearly so — 212. 

 MicrophoUs garciniaefoUa. 

 BB. Leaves more than 3 inches long ; fruits round, edible. 



D. Leaves rounded, blunt-pointed, or notched at apex ; fruits about 1 inch in diameter — 209. Manilkara 



bidentata. 

 DD. Leaves short-pointed; fruits IV2-3 inches in diameter (sapodilla) — 210. Manilkara zapota.* 

 AA. Leaves with several side veins at acute angle to midrib, mostly curved at end. 



B. Leaves mostly lance-shaped, long-pointed at both ends, the edges appearing finely wavy or wrinkled — 208. 

 Dipholis salicifolia. 

 EE. Leaves broader, mostly elliptic. 



P. Leaves with short petiole less than % inch long. 



G. Leaves elliptic, broadest near middle, less than 5 Inches long. 



H. Leaves with lower surfaces grayish or silvery green and often silky hairy — 205. Chrysophyllmn 

 argenteum. 

 HH. Leaves with lower surfaces reddish brown or golden silky hairy. 



I. Fruit round, several-seeded, 2-3 inches in diameter (star-apple) — 206. Chrysophyllum 

 cainito. 

 IL Fruit elliptic, 1-seeded, about % inch long — 207. ChrysophyUum oliviforme. 

 GG. Leaves narrowly elliptic, broadest beyond middle, large, 5-16 inches long — 213. Pouteria multiftora. 

 FF. Leaves with long slender petiole more than % inch long, often slightly winged toward ajwx ; midrib 

 yellow — 214. Sideroxylon foetidissimum. 



205. Lechecillo 



This tree with milliy sap is characterized by: 

 (1) a spreading low crown ; (2) elliptic or oblong 

 leaves with lower surfaces slightly grayish or sil- 

 very green and often silky hairy and with lateral 

 veins straight and parallel, almost at right angles 

 to midrib and regularly spaced Vs-Vi inch apart; 



(3) small greenish-yellow bell-shaped flowers 

 about 3/jp inch long clustered at leaf bases; and 



(4) oval or rounded, dark blue, edible berries %- 

 34 inch long. 



An evergreen, usually small tree 15-25 feet high 

 and -1—8 inches in diameter. Bark on small trunks 

 is smoothish or much fissured, light brown or gray, 

 the inner bark pinkish and slightly bitter. Young 

 twigs are greenish and finely hairy, becoming 

 brown or gray. The bud composed of youngest 

 leaves is brown and finely hairy. 



The alternate leaves have finely hairy petioles 

 14-% inch long. Leaf blades are 2V2-5 inches long 

 and 11/4-21/4 inches broad, mostly short-pointed at 

 apex and short-pointed or rounded at base, a little 

 thickened. The upper surface is green or dark 

 green, slightly shiny, and hairless or nearly so. 

 The specific name, meaning silvery, describes the 

 lower leaf surface. 



Few to several flowers with a peculiar odor are 

 borne together on slender hairy stalks about i/4 inch 

 long. There are 5 rounded brownish-green sepals 

 nearly i/g inch long, finely brown hairy; a tubular 

 bell-shaped, greenish-yellow, finely hairy corolla 

 %e inch long, with 5 or 6 small rounded lobes; 5 

 or 6 small stamens on the corolla tube opposite 

 the lobes; and pi.stil with hairy 6-8-celled ovary, 

 short style, and minutely lobed stigma. The fruit 



Chrysophyllum argenteum Jacq. 



contains 1 large shiny brown seed. Flowering and 

 fruiting probably through the year. 



The wood with light brown sapwood is reported 

 to be hard, heavy, strong, tough, and durable. 

 Used chiefly for posts in Puerto Rico. Elsewhere 

 utilized in construction and carpentry. 



Moist limestone and lower mountain forests in 

 Puerto Rico. Also in St. Thomas and Tortola. 



Public forests. — Guajataca, Luquillo, Rio 

 Aba jo. 



Range. — Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, St. 

 Thomas, Tortola, and nearly throughout Lesser 

 Antilles to Trinidad and Tobago. Also in Vene- 

 zuela. 



Other common names. — caimito verde (Puerto 

 Rico) ; caimito bianco cimarron, caimitillo, caimi- 

 to cocuyo, carabana (Dominican Republic) ; 

 macanabo (Cuba) ; milky-iron (Montserrat) ; 

 star-apple (Antigua, St. Vincent) ; balata chien 

 (St. Lucia) ; wild kaimit (Trinidad) ; petit 

 caimite, ti caimite (Haiti) ; bois glu, bois kaki, 

 ca'imitier bois (Guadeloupe) ; bois bonis, petit 

 bonis (Guadeloupe, Martinique). 



Botanical synonym. — ChrysophyUum gla- 

 hnim Jacq. 



Two more species of this genus are native, in 

 addition to the 3 illustrated here. Caimito de pe- 

 rro {ChrysophyUum. paucifonim Lam.) is known 

 only from dry areas of Puerto Rico, Vieques, St. 

 Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. It differs from 

 the species described above in the nearly hairless 

 leaves shiny above, the flower with 5-celled ovary, 

 and the sharp-pointed, oblong fruit %-% inch 

 long. 



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