CHICOZAPOTE: CHARACTERISTICS, TAXONOMY, HABITAT, PROPERTIES - BIOLOGY - 2024

Manilkara zapota (L.) is a plant of the Sapotaceae family, which is known by many common names such as chicozapote, medlar, chicle, chicle tree, sapodilla, sapotilla, chiku, lomut, and zapota.

The large number of common names is due to the many small and isolated populations where this tree lives, each one being a name given by the settlers according to its characteristics.

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The sapodilla is a tree that grows well in humid tropical to subtropical climatic conditions with cool and dry areas. However, these trees prefer a warm and humid climate.

It is native to Central and South America, specifically from the Yucatan Peninsula from Mexico to Costa Rica. It is also grown throughout India, and in Florida in the United States.

The medlar is a glabrous tree (without pubescence), and always green. It measures 8 to 15 m in height. Its fruit contains cyanogenic, glycosidic, phenolic, and terpenoid compounds. Its seeds have diuretic and antipyretic properties. The fruits of the medlar are edible, sweet and with a very fine flavor.

The sapodilla has many medicinal properties. It is used as an astringent, antipyretic, analgesic, antibiotic, and to cure intestinal disorders, coughs and colds, among others.

One of the peculiar uses of this plant species is that the latex produced by its bark is extracted from it for the manufacture of chewing gum. On the other hand, the medlar is also useful for the construction industry because it presents a carved wood, which then becomes extremely hard.

characteristics

Tree

The medlar is a medium to large-sized evergreen (evergreen) tree that reaches 12 to 18 m in the tropics, although some trees can reach 40 m. The size of the trees may be smaller in subtropical sites, due to the cold in winter, which retards the growth of this arboreal species.

It is a dense tree with a generally rounded, and sometimes pyramidal crown. The trunks of this tree can reach 2 to 3.5 m in diameter in Central America. In addition, it is a species that does not present pubescence.

Leaves

The leaves are leathery, shiny and dark green in color, they are grouped towards the tips of the branches, have an elliptical to elliptical-lanceolate shape and are 5 to 12.5 cm long by 6 cm wide.

flowers

The sapodilla flowers are small and white in color, and sprout from a short pedicel in the axils of the leaves. This plant species is self-incompatible, indicating that cross-pollination is necessary. This characteristic can lead to poor crop yields in some areas. The parthenocarpy is not normally present in these trees.

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Fruit

The fruit of the sapodilla is small, with a diameter of 5 to 9 cm and with a round or egg-shaped appearance, and weighs 75 to 200 g. The skin is rough brown, unattractive in appearance but enclosing soft, sweet, light brown to reddish-brown flesh. The flesh of the fruit is sandy, like a pear, and can contain up to 12 flat, smooth black seeds.

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The development of the fruit presents a sigmoidal growth pattern. Its first phase presents an initial growth produced by cell division and involves the maturation of the embryo within the fruit.

In the second phase of growth, the increase in size is very small, until a second rapid growth occurs, during which the increase in size is due to cell enlargement. In this phase the maximum growth takes place, between 5 and 7.5 months from the fruit set.

Therefore, the ideal time to harvest the fruit is after the second growth phase, when there is an increase in the sugar content of the fruit.

The ripening of the fruits takes place between 4 and 10 months after setting, depending on the variety, the climate and the soil conditions. In Florida, the Virgin Islands, and Malaysia, the fruit appears throughout the year, with a peak of fruiting from May to September.

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The sapodillla follows the pattern of a climacteric fruit. Their postharvest respiration process can be inhibited or decreased by phytohormones such as gibberellic acid, kinetin, and silver nitrate.

Pollination

Regarding pollinators, it has been found that thrips (Thrips hawaiiensis Morgan and Haplothrips tenuipennis Bagnall) are the main pollination agents, at least in India.

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Thrips appear to take refuge in flowers, living off pollen grains while feeding on these components which they then transfer to other flowers when food reserves are depleted.

On the other hand, although bees have been observed in medlar plantations, it has been determined that they could not transport pollen from it. Also, some species of Lepidoptera have been identified.

In other studies, it has been reported that wind and large insects are not significant pollinating agents in medlar. The size and variability of the pollen changes from cultivar to cultivar, which could influence the fruit set, since, as in the avocado, the medlar produces many more flowers than developed fruits.

Tolerance to environmental conditions

Young trees are damaged or sometimes die when exposed to temperatures below 0 ° C to -1 ° C. In contrast, mature trees can withstand low temperatures between -2 and -3 ° C, suffering only minor damage.

Temperatures above 41 ° C during flowering or fruiting can cause flower abortion or fruit blanching.

The medlar has proven to be tolerant to drought conditions, and its ability to thrive in poor soils makes it an ideal fruit tree for growing areas with less than optimal conditions.

This arboreal species has shown the ability to withstand long periods of waterlogging as well, and its trees are grown in most types of soil, from clay to limestone.

Likewise, the sapodilla is tolerant to high levels of salinity in the root zone, a rare characteristic in tropical fruit species.

Taxonomy

The sapodilla has some synonyms, these are: Manilkara achras (Miller), Manilkara zapotilla (Jacq.), And Sapota achras P. Mill.

- Kingdom: Plantae.

- Phylum: Tracheophyta.

- Class: Spermatopsida.

- Order: Ericales.

- Family: Sapotaceae.

- Tribe: Mimusopeae.

- Gender: Manilkara.

- Species: Manilkara zapota (Linnaeus).

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Habitat and distribution

The medlar lives in humid to subtropical forests, which have dry and cool areas. However, the medlar grows best in hot and humid climates.

The medlar is distributed in the following countries: Bahamas, Bangladesh, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Gulf of Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Central Mexico, Gulf of Mexico, Northeast of Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and the Antilles.

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In ancient times, the sapodilla was used by the ancient Mayans in the construction of their temples and as a source of fruit. Because there are no ethnographic and paleo-ethnobotanical data to support the information, genetic approaches have been used to estimate variation and structure in modern populations of this neotropical tree species.

This is done to know if the genetic patterns are consistent with the management given by the Mayans, or if they are due to the natural history of the species; In this sense, the genetic diversity of the medlar has shown little consistency with the movement of the ancient Mayans, and is better attributed to the natural processes of seed and pollen dispersal, which take place throughout the tropical forest.

Medicinal properties

The medlar has many little-known medicinal properties. It has medicinal application in antinociceptive and antidiarrheal treatment. From its different structures substances or extracts are obtained that are useful in the treatment of some diseases or disorders.

Thus, the bark serves as an antibiotic, astringent, and also antipyretic. The gum (latex) released from the bark is used in the dental industry for dental surgery.

Also, the bark is used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. Likewise, the bark of M. zapota is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, fever and pain.

The leaves are used to treat coughs, colds and diarrhea. The leaves of this plant species have antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.

Other uses

The medlar is very useful in the lumber industry, therefore the wood has a high value because it can be carved when it is fresh. It then acquires a hardness similar to iron when it dries, and is strong and can support the weight of tons of stones in the roofs built with this wood.

Also, the wood is resistant to the predation of insects and fungi. For this reason, this material is widely used for construction purposes.

The gum tree, as its name indicates, is also used for the manufacture of gum, since the extraction of the white latex from the bark is its main ingredient, thus being an important economic resource.

From an ecological point of view it is also very valuable, as it serves as a kind of canopy and source of food for birds and some forest mammals (bats).

References

1. Catalog of Life: 2019 Annual Checklist. 2019. Manilkara zapota. Taken from: catalogueoflife.org
2. Hossain, H., Howlader, S., Dey, S., Hira, A., Ahmed, A. 2012. Antinociceptive and antidiarrheal properties of the ethanolic extract of Manilkara zapota (Linn,) Bark. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research 3 (12): 4791-4795
3. Mickelbart, MV 1996. Sapodilla: A potential crop For subtropical climates. p. 439-446. In: J. Janick (ed). Progress in new crops. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA
4. Thompson, KM, Culley, TM, Zumberger, AM, Lentz, DL 2015. Genetic variation and structure in the neotropical tree, Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen (Sapotaceae) used by the ancient Maya. Tree Genetics & Genomes 11 (3): 1-13.
5. The Taxonomicon. (2004-2019). Taxon: Species Manilkara zapota (Linnaeus) van Royen - sapodilla. Taken from: taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl