Sapodilla plum - Manilkara zapota

Common Name :	Sapodilla.
Botanical Name :	Manilkara zapota
Family :	Sapotaceae
Bengali Name :	Sobeda (সবেদা), Sofeda (সফেদা).
Photo Taken :	Bangladesh

Sapodilla is a delicious fruit that is native from Caribbean, Mexico and Central American region. But later it spread into South Asia and Southeast Asia where it grows in plenty. Botanical name of the plant is Manilkara zapota. It belongs to the plant family Sapotaceae.

Sapodilla plum (Manilkara zapota) grows as a tree. Plant can grow up to 30 meter in height. This is an evergreen plant and leafs are glossy. Slender leafs are broad at the middle with a noticeable petiole. Leafs grows as a cluster. This plant is a slow growing but long lived wind tolerant plant.

Flowers of Sapodilla plum (Manilkara zapota) are not that much showy as they are very small and not much colorful (besides the plant bears plenty of thick leafs). Flowers are having a shape of cup (or bell) and most part of the petals remain covered under the bracts.

Fruit is a berry like, round shaped, and colored with brown. The size can be exampled by the size of an egg. After removing the thin skin the whole part of the Sapodilla plum fruit is edible. Fruit contains several stones inside colored like chocolate. Fruits are very sweet and delicious. This is one of my favorite fruits.

Glossy clustered leafs of Sapodilla plum.

Sapodilla plum usually cultivated commercially for the value of its fruits. But this plant is a great source of latex which is used as an ingredient in chewing gum. Also for having glossy evergreen leafs people plant this as an ornamental plant in gardens.

A Sapodilla plum fruit yet to be ripened.

Photos of Sapodilla plum (Manilkara zapota) were taken from the following location of Bangladesh:
1. June 2015: Romna park, Dhaka.


This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icflora.blogspot.com/