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Pouteria campechiana Kunth (Baehni)

Family Name:	Sapotaceae
Synonyms:	Pouteria lucuma, Lucuma nervosa, Achras lucuma
Common Name:	Eggfruit Tree, Canistel, Amarillo, Yellow Sapote, Sapote Borracho, Zapote

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Fruit or Vegetable

Herb or Spice

Fragrant Plant

Tree

Tree growing in pot at Fruits & Vegetables Garden, HortPark

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
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Name Status (botanical)
Synonyms
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Tree (Medium (16m-30m))
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic
Plant Shape	Broad / Mushroom / Hemispherical
Maximum Height	30 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution	Mexico, Central America
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical, Sub-Tropical / Monsoonal

Description and Ethnobotany

Others - Plant Morphology	Growth Form:Erect slender tree with a spreading form, generally not more than 8 m tall, but able to reach a height of 30 m in optimal growing conditions. Habitat:Found at elevations below 1400 m, P. campechiana grows in a tropical or sub-tropical climate. Mainly a cultivated plant grown commercially, it has been reported to become naturalised in places like the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and Cuba, although it is also thought that these may be plants growing on former homesteads. P. campechiana is known to occur naturally only in southern Mexico. Stem:Trunk diameter may reach up to 1 m. Bark brown, furrowed with abundant white gummy latex. Young branches are velvety brown. Foliage:Leaves evergreen. Alternate, though mostly grouped at branch tips, leaves are thin, glossy and petiolate. Leaf shape ranges from oblanceolate, lanceolate-oblong to obovate. Leaf apices are bluntly pointed while leaf bases are sharply tapered. Flowers:Flowers bisexual, solitary or in small clusters and fragrant. Borne at leaf axils or leafless nodes, the flowers are 5- or 6-lobed, cream-coloured, silky-hairy and about 8-11 mm long. Fruits:Fruits variable in shape, from nearly round to somewhat ovoid, oval or spindle-shaped, with or without a pointed apex or curved beak. Often bulged on one side, the fruit has a 5-point calyx at the base, which may be rounded or have a distinct depression. Size about 7.5-12.5 cm long and 5-7.5 cm wide. When unripe, the fruit is green, hard and gummy inside, going on to turn lemon-yellow, golden-yellow or orange-yellow on ripening with a smooth and glossy skin sometimes with light-brown to reddish-brown roughed patches.Flesh is yellow, firm and pasty, becoming softer towards the seeds, resembling the texture of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg or to some, the flesh of pumpkin.Seeds 1-4, hard and free-stoned, near-oval to oblong-oval, glossy and chestnut brown, except for the straight or curved ventral end, which is dull light-brown to greyish-white. Both tips of the seed are sharp. Cultivation and landscaping:While maintenance of P. campechiana is relatively low, it is beneficial to carry out mulching in the early years of the plant, as well as the application of fertiliser at the time of planting and during periods of rapid growth. Although wind-resistant and suitable for windy locations, pruning may be carried out to avoid damage by wind as well as to shape the crown, which provides considerable shade when the tree is mature. Suitable for planting in home gardens. Food:The fruit is eaten with condiments, including salt and pepper, with fresh or after light baking. The flesh may be pureed and used in custards, ice creams and other confectionaries. May also be used in eggnog recipes to make a special "eggfruit nog". The fruit can also be dehydrated and reduced to a nutritional powder, which has become available as a commercial product. While edible, it is not juicy or crispy like many other fruits, and hence not highly regarded. However, studies have shown the fruit to be rich in niacin and carotene and contain a fair level of ascorbic acid. Chemical analyses have also shown it to be more nutritious than the carambola (Averrhoa carambola), except in moisture, fibre and riboflavin content. Medicine:A decoction of the astringent bark is known to be used in Mexico to reduce fevers, as well as to treat skin conditions. Seeds are used in treatment against ulcers. Timber:The wood of P. campechiana is valued for being fine-grained, compact, strong and moderate to very heavy and hard, especially suitable for planks and rafters in construction. The heartwood is greyish-brown to reddish-brown, blending into the somewhat lighted-coloured sapwood. The darker the colour of the wood, the more resistant to decay.
Ethnobotanical Uses	Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits Food (Fruit or Vegetable) (Herb or Spice)

Others - Plant Morphology

Growth Form:Erect slender tree with a spreading form, generally not more than 8 m tall, but able to reach a height of 30 m in optimal growing conditions. Habitat:Found at elevations below 1400 m, P. campechiana grows in a tropical or sub-tropical climate. Mainly a cultivated plant grown commercially, it has been reported to become naturalised in places like the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and Cuba, although it is also thought that these may be plants growing on former homesteads. P. campechiana is known to occur naturally only in southern Mexico. Stem:Trunk diameter may reach up to 1 m. Bark brown, furrowed with abundant white gummy latex. Young branches are velvety brown. Foliage:Leaves evergreen. Alternate, though mostly grouped at branch tips, leaves are thin, glossy and petiolate. Leaf shape ranges from oblanceolate, lanceolate-oblong to obovate. Leaf apices are bluntly pointed while leaf bases are sharply tapered. Flowers:Flowers bisexual, solitary or in small clusters and fragrant. Borne at leaf axils or leafless nodes, the flowers are 5- or 6-lobed, cream-coloured, silky-hairy and about 8-11 mm long. Fruits:Fruits variable in shape, from nearly round to somewhat ovoid, oval or spindle-shaped, with or without a pointed apex or curved beak. Often bulged on one side, the fruit has a 5-point calyx at the base, which may be rounded or have a distinct depression. Size about 7.5-12.5 cm long and 5-7.5 cm wide. When unripe, the fruit is green, hard and gummy inside, going on to turn lemon-yellow, golden-yellow or orange-yellow on ripening with a smooth and glossy skin sometimes with light-brown to reddish-brown roughed patches.Flesh is yellow, firm and pasty, becoming softer towards the seeds, resembling the texture of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg or to some, the flesh of pumpkin.Seeds 1-4, hard and free-stoned, near-oval to oblong-oval, glossy and chestnut brown, except for the straight or curved ventral end, which is dull light-brown to greyish-white. Both tips of the seed are sharp. Cultivation and landscaping:While maintenance of P. campechiana is relatively low, it is beneficial to carry out mulching in the early years of the plant, as well as the application of fertiliser at the time of planting and during periods of rapid growth. Although wind-resistant and suitable for windy locations, pruning may be carried out to avoid damage by wind as well as to shape the crown, which provides considerable shade when the tree is mature. Suitable for planting in home gardens. Food:The fruit is eaten with condiments, including salt and pepper, with fresh or after light baking. The flesh may be pureed and used in custards, ice creams and other confectionaries. May also be used in eggnog recipes to make a special "eggfruit nog". The fruit can also be dehydrated and reduced to a nutritional powder, which has become available as a commercial product. While edible, it is not juicy or crispy like many other fruits, and hence not highly regarded. However, studies have shown the fruit to be rich in niacin and carotene and contain a fair level of ascorbic acid. Chemical analyses have also shown it to be more nutritious than the carambola (Averrhoa carambola), except in moisture, fibre and riboflavin content. Medicine:A decoction of the astringent bark is known to be used in Mexico to reduce fevers, as well as to treat skin conditions. Seeds are used in treatment against ulcers. Timber:The wood of P. campechiana is valued for being fine-grained, compact, strong and moderate to very heavy and hard, especially suitable for planks and rafters in construction. The heartwood is greyish-brown to reddish-brown, blending into the somewhat lighted-coloured sapwood. The darker the colour of the wood, the more resistant to decay.

Ethnobotanical Uses

Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits
Food (Fruit or Vegetable) (Herb or Spice)

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Fragrant (Flowers) (Day)
Landscape Uses	Container Planting, General, Shade Providing Tree / Palm, Focal Plant
Plant & Rootzone Preference or Tolerance Remarks	Can be cultivated in soils too thin and poor for other fruits trees.

Fauna, Pollination and Dispersal

Pollination Method(s)	Abiotic (Self-Pollinated), Biotic (Fauna)

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Rootzone Tolerance	Fertile Loamy Soils, Well-Drained Soils, Acidic (low pH) Soils
Maintenance Requirements	Low
Propagation Method	Seed, Stem Cutting, Grafting, Air-Layering

Foliar

Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Mature Foliage Texture(s)	Glossy / Shiny
Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate

Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Alternate
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage (Obovate, Lanceolate, Oblong)
Foliar Margin	Entire
Foliar Base	Acute
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	3.0 (Tree - Intermediate Canopy)

Non - Foliar and Storage

Trunk Type (Non Palm)	Woody
Mature Bark Texture	Fissured

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality	Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)	Cream / Off-White

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s)	Orange, Yellow / Golden
Fruit Type	Fleshy Fruit

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID	1793
Species ID	3086
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.

Species record last updated on: 06 March 2023.