White sapote

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White sapote
Casimiroa edulis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Casimiroa
Species:
C. edulis
Binomial name
Casimiroa edulis
White sapote2.jpg

The white sapote, scientific name Casimiroa edulis, also called casimiroa and Mexican apple, [1] and known as cochitzapotl in the Nahuatl language (meaning "sleep-sapote") is a species of tropical fruiting tree in the family Rutaceae, native to eastern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica. The genus is named for "an Otomi Indian, Casimiro Gómez, from the town of Cardonal in Hidalgo, Mexico, who fought and died in Mexico's war of independence." [2]

Contents

Description

Mature C. edulis trees range from 5–16 m (16–52 ft) tall and are evergreen. The leaves are alternate, palmately compound with three to five leaflets, the leaflets 6–13 cm long and 2.5–5 cm broad with an entire margin, and the leaf petiole 10–15 cm long.

The fruit is an ovoid drupe, 5–10 cm in diameter, with a thin, inedible skin turning from green to yellow when ripe, and an edible pulp, which can range in flavor from bland to banana-like to peach to pear to vanilla flan. [3] [4] [5] The pulp can be creamy-white in green-skin varieties or a beige-yellow in yellow-skin varieties and has a smooth texture similar to ripe avocado. It contains from one to five seeds that are said to have narcotic properties.

Chemical constituents

In the past 40 years, experiments carried out on the white sapote's seeds have identified many pharmacologically active compounds, including: N-methylhistamine, N,N-dimethylhistamine, and histamine. It also contains 2,5,6-trimethoxyflavone, 2, 6',5,6,-tetramethoxyflavone (zapotin), and 5-hydroxy-2,6,7-trimethoxyflavone (zapotinin). [6] [7]

Health effects

Several in vitro studies have shown that zapotin has potential anticarcinogenic effects against isolated colon cancer cells. [6] [8]

The fruit has long been thought to produce drowsiness, as claimed by Francisco Hernández de Toledo in the 16th century, [9] but this may be a misinterpretation of the Nahuatl name of the plant, cochitzapotl (meaning '"sleep-sapote"), as its seeds were processed to produce a poison by the Aztecs, and the seeds and leaves, but not fruit pulp of the plant, contain sleep-inducing compounds.

Taxonomy

Unlike the mamey sapote, white sapote is a member of the family Rutaceae, to which citrus belongs. [10] The black sapote is also unrelated and is actually a species of persimmon. This confusion may be because "sapote" comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word tzapotl, used to describe all soft, sweet fruit.[ citation needed ] Commonly grown in northern New South Wales, Australia, and often mistaken for a persimmon, these two fruits are unrelated.

See also

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<i>Pouteria sapota</i> Species of tree

Pouteria sapota, the mamey sapote, is a species of tree native to Mexico and Central America. The tree is also cultivated in the Caribbean. Its fruit is eaten in many Latin American countries. The fruit is made into foods such as milkshakes and ice cream.

<i>Diospyros nigra</i> Species of tree

Diospyros nigra, the black sapote, is a species of persimmon. Common names include chocolate pudding fruit, black soapapple and zapote prieto. The tropical fruit tree is native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. The common name sapote refers to any soft, edible fruit. Black sapote is not related to white sapote nor mamey sapote. The genus Diospyros has numerous other fruit bearing tree species in addition to the persimmons and black sapote.

<i>Diospyros kaki</i> Oriental fruit

Diospyros kaki, the Oriental persimmon, Chinese persimmon, Japanese persimmon or kaki persimmon, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Diospyros. Although its first botanical description was not published until 1780, D. kaki is among the oldest cultivated plants, having been in use in China for more than 2000 years.

<i>Dacryodes edulis</i> Species of tree

Dacryodes edulis is a fruit tree in the Burseraceae family native to Africa. Its various regional names include safou, plum (Cameroon), atanga, ube, elumi (Nigeria), African pear, bush pear, African plum, nsafu, bush butter tree, or butterfruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zapotin</span> Chemical compound

Zapotin is a natural chemical compound, classified as a flavone, isolated from White sapote.

<i>Diospyros texana</i> Species of tree

Diospyros texana is a species of persimmon that is native to central, south and west Texas and southwest Oklahoma in the United States, and eastern Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. Common names include Texas persimmon, Mexican persimmon and the more ambiguous "black persimmon". It is known in Spanish as chapote, chapote manzano, or chapote prieto, all of which are derived from the Nahuatl word tzapotl. That word also refers to several other fruit-bearing trees.

<i>Passiflora laurifolia</i> Species of vine

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<i>Casimiroa</i> Genus of flowering plants

Casimiroa is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rutaceae. It includes about 10 species native to Mexico and Central America. The genus is named for "an Otomi Indian, Casimiro Gómez, from the town of Cardonal in Hidalgo, Mexico, who fought and died in Mexico's war of independence."

<i>Ximenia caffra</i> Species of shrub

Ximenia caffra, the sourplum, is a small tree or small shrub that is thinly branched. It is part of the Olacaceae family which is native throughout tropical regions. In particular, the sourplum is native to regions in South East Africa, mainly Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The sourplum tree produces several fruits on an annual basis. These are generally sour with a dry aftertaste, and they contain significant amounts of potassium. The tree itself is fairly hardy, with frost resistance and drought tolerance. The tree, fruit, seed, leaves, and roots are all used for human consumption, medicinally, or for fuel. The trees themselves can also be used as natural land division barriers.

<i>Cyrtocarpa edulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cyrtocarpa edulis is a species of perennial sarcocaulescent tree commonly known as the Cimarrón plum or Cape wild-plum. It is in the genus Cyrtocarpa, and is endemic to Baja California Sur. This plant is characterized by fleshy stems, twisted branches and an edible drupe.

References

  1. "Casimiroa edulis". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  2. "Plant Names C-F". www.calflora.net.
  3. photo 1
  4. photo 2
  5. photo 3
  6. 1 2 Murillo G, Hirschelman WH, Ito A, et al. (2007). "Zapotin, a phytochemical present in a Mexican fruit, prevents colon carcinogenesis". Nutrition and Cancer . 57 (1): 28–37. doi:10.1080/01635580701268097. PMID   17516860. S2CID   20080099.
  7. Sondheimer, F (1960). "Constituents of Casimiroa edulis Llave et Lex.—VI 2,5,6-Trimethoxyflavone, 2,5,6,7-tetramethoxyflavone (zapotin) and 5-hydroxy-2,6,7-trimethoxyflavone (zapotinin)". Tetrahedron. 9 (3–4): 139–144. doi:10.1016/0040-4020(60)80001-4.
  8. Maiti A, Cuendet M, Kondratyuk T, Croy VL, Pezzuto JM, Cushman M (Jan 2007). "Synthesis and cancer chemopreventive activity of zapotin, a natural product from Casimiroa edulis". Journal of Medicinal Chemistry . American Chemical Society. 50 (2): 350–5. doi:10.1021/jm060915+. PMC   2523270 . PMID   17228877.
  9. Morton, J.; Julia F. Morton (1987). "White Sapote: Casimiroa edulus Llave". Fruits of warm climates. Miami, Florida. pp. 191–196.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. Boning, Charles R. (2006). Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc. p. 211. ISBN   1561643726.

Further reading