Coco Plum, Mammee Apple, Pomegranate & Persimmon Photos

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Economic Plant Photographs #20

Coco Plum, Natal Plum, Mammee Apple, Mamey Sapote,
Eggfruit, Star Apple, Persimmon, Black Sapote,
Pomegranate, Lingaro and Trebizond Date

Chrysobalanus Family (Chrysobalanaceae)

Coco plum (Chrysobalanus icaco) photographed on Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize in Central America. This interesting shrub or small tree occurs throughout coastal regions of the American tropics. The sweet, plumlike fruit (drupe) is eaten raw or made into jellies and preserves. It was an important food for the Seminole Indians of southern Florida.

Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae)

Natal plum (Carissa grandiflora), also listed as C. macrocarpa: A spiny South African shrub with milky latex sap, fragrant white flowers and showy, red fruits (berries). Although natal plum belongs to the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) with many poisonous relatives (such as Nerium oleander), the fruits are edible with the flavor of cranberries. They are made into jellies, sauces and pies. The branched spines arise from lateral buds in the leaf axils and are technically modified stems called thorns. [Spines are technically modified leaves with lateral buds in their axils.]

Garcinia Family (Guttiferae)

The mammee apple (Mammea americana) is a large, evergreen tree native to the Caribbean region. The foliage and general habit superficially resembles the evergreen magnolia of the southeastern United States. Ripe mammee apples are often seen at the marketplace in Caribbean countries. They have a roughened outer coat (exocarp) and a thick, firm, apricot-colored flesh (mesocarp) containing several large, roughened seeds. They can be eaten raw but are commonly stewed and eaten as a dessert. Fruits that are not so ripe are sometimes used for jams and preserves. They were already part of the local diet when Columbus visited these islands in the late fifteenth century. In some areas of the Caribbean, an aromatic liqueur (eau de creole) is distilled from the strong-scented flowers. The fine-grained wood from this tree is used for furniture and cabinetry.

A desiccated mammee apple (Mammea americana), showing the large, roughened seeds. Sometimes the old fruits or seeds become "drift disseminules" and wash ashore on tropical beaches of Mexico and the southeastern United States.

A desiccated old mammee apple (Mammea americana), showing a large, roughened seed. Sometimes the dried seeds become "drift disseminules" and wash ashore on tropical beaches of Mexico and the southeastern United States.

Sapodilla Family (Sapotaceae)

Another fruit with a similar common name to the mammee apple is the mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota), a widespread tropical American tree. It belongs to the sapodilla family (Sapotaceae), along with the sapodilla or chicle tree (Manilkara zapota). It is listed incorrectly in some references as Calocarpum mammosum. In the Rio Napo region of Ecuador, the fruits are commonly eaten by native people, and the shiny, dark brown seeds are used in necklaces. In some necklaces, colorful feathers are attached to the inside of large, glossy seeds which have been cut in half.

The mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) is a tropical American fruit containing a large, shiny brown seed. The fruit in this photo is about eight inches (20 cm) long. The salmon-red pulp is eaten fresh or made into preserves, sherbets, ice creams and drinks.

A seed necklace from the Rio Napo, a tributary of the Amazon River in Ecuador. The large, dark brown seeds are from the mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota). Some of the seeds have been sectioned and stuffed with colorful feathers. The half-red, half-black seeds are from a species of Ormosia (possibly O. monosperma), a large leguminous tree of the tropical rain forest. The small gray seeds are from a tall, annual grass called Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) that grows wild throughout the Old and New World tropics.

See Article About Botanical Jewelry
See Job's Tears: Nature's Perfect Bead

A very similar tree called eggfruit or canistel (Pouteria campechiana) is native to the Caribbean region, Mexico and central America. The globose or pear-shaped fruit (berry) is about four inches (10 cm) long with a thin skin (exocarp) and very sweet, orange or yellow pulp containing several large, shiny brown seeds. This tasty fruit is typically eaten raw. The white sapote (Casimiroa edulis) is another interesting fruit that belongs to the citrus family (Rutaceae).

Eggfruit or canistel (Pouteria campechiana), a delicious fruit from tropical America. Like the mamey sapote (P. sapota), it has a sweet, fleshy pulp with large, shiny seeds.

See White Sapote Fruit
See Naseberry (Chicle) Fruit

A nother interesting tree in the Sapotaceae is the star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito), a shade tree native to tropical America. Mature fruits have a dark, purplish skin (exocarp) surrounding a pinkish flesh with a star-shaped arrangement of seeds when viewed in cross section. The sweet fruits are eaten raw and in desserts and salads. They are also boiled and made into preserves. An interesting drink called "matrimony" is prepared by scooping out the inside pulp of a star apple and adding it to a glass of sour orange juice.

A star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito). Note the puplish skin and star-shaped arrangement of the seeds when viewed in cross section. Photographed on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Pomegranate Family (Punicaceae)

Pomegranate (Punica granatum), showing persistent calyx at top of fruit. The calyx is cut away on right fruit to show the numerous stamens. The fruit is technically a leathery-skinned berry containing many seeds, each surrounded by a fleshy, juicy aril. The pomegranate tree is native to Africa and the Near East. Hebrews decorated their buildings with pomegranate motifs, and the beautiful, many-seeded fruits became associated with a symbol of fertility and abundance. In Asia, pomegranates were offered to wedding guests who threw them on the floor of the honeymoon suite, shattering the fruits and scattering the bright red seeds. This practice was believed to insure fertility and a large number of offspring for the newlyweds. The French word for a pomegranate is "grenade," which also refers to a hand-thrown bomb that scatters deadly metal fragments (shrapnel) instead of seeds.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum), showing persistent calyx at top of fruit. The calyx is cut away on right fruit to show the numerous stamens. The fruit is technically a leathery-skinned berry containing many seeds, each surrounded by a fleshy, juicy aril.

A pomegranate (Punica granatum) smashed against a concrete sidewalk. The juicy "shrapnel" consists of fleshy seeds and sections of the leathery husk. The French word for a pomegranate is "grenade," which also refers to a hand-thrown bomb with deadly metal fragments (shrapnel) instead of seeds.

See Grenade Drift Fruit And Real Grenade

Persimmon (Ebony) Family (Ebenaceae)

Two persimmon cultivars: The persimmons pointed at one end are 'Hatchiya' (left), and the flattened, tomato-like one is 'Fuyu' (upper right). The Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki), a tree in the ebony family (Ebenaceae), is native to eastern Asia. The beautiful, black hardwood called ebony also belongs to the genus Diospyros (D. ebenum). An American persimmon (D. virginiana) is native to the eastern United States. The persimmon fruit is a true berry because the pericarp is fleshy all the way through, without a bony endocarp layer as in drupes. The fruit of variety 'Hatchiya' is extremely astringent when eaten, causing your mouth and tongue to feel very dry. It is the variety most commonly dried. The variety 'Fuyu' is less astringent.

Farmer Howell Sonoda standing behind his new crop of air-dried 'Hatchiya' persimmons (Diospyros kaki). The sweet dried fruit is delicious and tastes like candy.

See Howell Sonoda's Dried 'Hatchiya' Persimmons

Left: Black sapote (Diospyros digyna), a Mexican fruit tree related to the persimmon. Right: Japanese 'Fuyu' persimmon (Diospyros kaki). Both species belong to the genus Diospyros in the ebony family (Ebenaceae). The fruits (berries) have a similar structure with an enlarged, persistent calyx at the base. The skin and flesh of black sapote (also called black persimmon) turns brown (black) when the fruit is soft and ripe. It is eaten fresh and used in breads, preserves and desserts, such as ice cream and mousse. Other fruits in different plant families are also named sapote, such as the mamey sapote and white sapote.

See A Chart Of World's Hardwoods
See "Elephant" Carved From Ebony

Left: Black sapote (Diospyros digyna), a Mexican fruit tree related to the persimmon. Right: Japanese 'Fuyu' persimmon (Diospyros kaki). Both species belong to the genus Diospyros in the ebony family (Ebenaceae). The fruits (berries) have a similar structure and seed arrangement. The skin and flesh of black sapote (also called black persimmon) turns brown (black) when the fruit is soft and ripe. It is eaten fresh and used in breads, preserves and desserts, such as ice cream and mousse.

Oleaster Family (Elaeagnaceae)

Lingaro (Elaeagnus philippinensis), an interesting shrub native to the Philippine Islands. The gland-dotted fruits (drupaceous berries) are edible.

Trebizond date (Elaeagnus angustifolia var. orientalis), a variety of Russian olive sold in markets of Turkey and Iran. The drupaceous, datelike fruits have a dry, mealy mesocarp, and a shiny, brownish-yellow outer skin (exocarp). Mealy particles from the mesocarp are visible as white flecks in this photograph. The cylindrical pits (endocarps) resemble those of date palms. Like dates, the fruits are eaten fresh and dried.

The dried, datelike fruits of a Russian olive called "Mountain ash" (Elaeagnus angustifolia) for sale in a Middle Eastern market.

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