336 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



lands of Tabasco, Chiapas, and the western part of Yucatan, 

 throughout which region the wild trees are tapped for chicle gum. 

 From its native home it has been carried around the world. 

 It is grown on the western coast of India and in Bengal, and, 

 according to H. F. Macmillan, was introduced into Ceylon 

 about 1802, but it has not become widely cultivated in that 

 island. One meets with the tree in some parts of Africa, and 

 Gerrit P. Wilder says it is common in the Hawaiian Islands. 

 Throughout tropical America, it is abundant from southern 

 Brazil to Florida. 



In California the sapodilla has not been a success. Occasional 

 trees in favored locations have lived for several years, but they 

 have never reached the fruiting stage. Frosts have eventually 

 killed most of them, and even the coolness of California nights 

 has proved unfavorable to their natural development. In Florida 

 the plant's cultivation is limited to the east coast from Palm 

 Beach (or perhaps farther north) southward to Key West, and 

 on the west coast as far north as the Manatee River. Mature 

 trees in that state have passed uninjured through temperatures 

 of 28 above zero, according to P. W. Reasoner. On the Florida 

 Keys the sapodilla is one of the favorite fruits. 



The common name sapodilla, by which the fruit is known in 

 Florida, is taken from the Spanish zapotillo, meaning small 

 zapote. In Mexico the usual name is chicozapote (often abbre- 

 viated to chico) ; this is derived from the Nahuatl tzicozapotl, 

 or gum zapotl. In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries 

 it is also called nispero, a name which properly belongs to the 

 European medlar, Mespilus germanica. The English have 

 formed from this the term naseberry, which is current in the 

 West Indies and India. In the latter country it is called in 

 Marathi chiku. The Maya name yd is used in Yucatan. In 

 southern Brazil one form of the fruit is called sapoti, another 

 sapota, while at Para the name is sapotilha. In German it is 

 called breiapfel, and in French sapotille. The botanical 



