Order Ebenales, Sapotaceae Family.
This large shrub or tree is endemic to Puerto Rico and the associated islands of Vieques, St. John, and Tortola. In Puerto Rico, it grows in the tropical karst (limestone, clay) topographies of the northwest from sea level to elevations of 400 feet. It is also occasionally seen growing in sand dunes. It is evergreen, often about 15 high but occasionally to 50 feet. The trunk diameter varies accordingly from 4 to 14 inches. It has stiff, leathery leaves clustered at joints and most commonly at twig ends. Wood of older trees is quite hard – as is the wood of its close relative M. bidentata, the bullet-wood tree. The fruit is about the size and shape of a tomato when ripe: at most 3 inches across and 2 inches high. The rind is thick and slightly rough, with white sticky latex and a pinkish pulp inside. European botanists who tried the fruit in the last two centuries described it as terrible – although these same individuals gave the same description to the fruits of Green Sapote and White Sapote. However, in this case they may be correct. The name “Zapote de costa” was never used to describe this fruit by native peoples: it was instead assigned by Spanish collectors in the late 1700’s. The tree is classified as vulnerable on U.S. and international endangered species lists, currently not cultivated, and not present in any known plant germplasm repository. This total lack of interest in cultivation is a good indication that the fruit is unpopular.
The photo below was taken by a Puerto Rican resident, and the sketch was made by the famous botanist Arthur Cronquist.
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