''Chrysophyllum'' is a group of trees in the

Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology), order Ericales. The family includes about 800 species of ev ...

described as a genus by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1753. The genus is native to tropical regions throughout the world, with the greatest number of species in northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. One species, '' C. oliviforme'', extends north to southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

.''Chrysophyllum'' L.
''World Flora Online''. Accessed 3 December 2022.''Chrysophyllum'' L.
''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 3 December 2022.

Description

''Chrysophyllum'' members are usually tropical

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s, often growing rapidly to 10–20 m or more in height. The leaves are oval, 3–15 cm long, green above, densely golden pubescent below, from which the genus is named. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are small (3–8 mm), purplish white and have a sweet fragrant smell; they are clustered several together, and are

hermaphroditic In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have s ...

(self fertile). The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is edible; round, usually purple skinned (sometimes greenish-white), often green around the calyx, with a star pattern in the pulp; the flattened

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s are light brown and hard. The fruit skin is chewy like gum, and contrary to some reports, is edible. Flora of China, Vol. 15 Page 208 金叶树属 jin ye shu shu ''Chrysophyllum'' Linnaeus
/ref>

Species

Currently accepted species include: ;Formerly included * '' Donella ambrensis'' Aubrév. (as ''C. ambrense'' (Aubrév.) G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) * '' Donella analalavensis'' Aubrév. (as ''C. analalavense'' (Aubrév.) G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) * '' Donella bangweolensis'' (R.E.Fr. & Pellegr.) Mackinder (as ''C. bangweolense'' R.E.Fr. & Pellegr.) * '' Donella capuronii'' (G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) Mackinder & L.Gaut. (as ''C. capuronii'' G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) *'' Donella delphinensis'' Aubrév. (as ''C. delphinense'' (Aubrév.) G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) *'' Donella fenerivensis'' Aubrév. (as ''C. fenerivense'' (Aubrév.) G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) *'' Donella guereliana'' (Aubrév.) Mackinder (as ''C guerelianum'' (Aubrév.) G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) *'' Donella masoalensis'' Aubrév. (as ''C. masoalense'' (Aubrév.) G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) *'' Donella perrieri'' Lecomte (as ''C. perrieri'' (Lecomte) G.E.Schatz & L.Gaut.) *'' Donella pruniformis'' (Engl.) Pierre ex Engl. (as ''C. pruniforme'' Engl.) * '' Donella viridifolia'' (J.M.Wood & Franks) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. viridifolium'' J.M.Wood & Franks) *'' Donella ubangiensis'' (De Wild.) Aubrév. (as ''C. ubangiense'' (De Wild.) Govaerts) *''

Englerophytum longepedicellatum ''Englerophytum'' is a group of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus in 1914. ''Englerophytum'' consists primarily of trees. Their leaves are leathery with dense appressed hairs on the undersides. The genus is widespread across t ...

'' (De Wild.) L.Gaut. (as ''C. longifolium'' De Wild.) *''

Englerophytum magalismontanum ''Englerophytum magalismontanum'', commonly known as stamvrug, is an evergreen tree that mostly grows in rocky places. It has an extensive range, from northern KwaZulu-Natal northwards along the east coast and into the southern African interior, ...

'' (Sond.) T.D.Penn. (as ''C. magalismontanum'' Sond.) *''

Englerophytum oblanceolatum ''Englerophytum'' is a group of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus in 1914. ''Englerophytum'' consists primarily of trees. Their leaves are leathery with dense appressed hairs on the undersides. The genus is widespread across t ...

'' (S.Moore) T.D.Penn. (as ''C. tessmannii'' Engl. & K.Krause) *'' Gambeya azaguieana'' (J.Miège) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. azaguieanum'' J.Miège) *''

Gambeya beguei ''Gambeya'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Sapotaceae. Its native range is Tropical Africa. It is found in the countries of Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo ...

'' (Aubrév. & Pellegr.) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. beguei'' (Aubrév. & Pellegr.) Aubrév. & Pellegr.) *''

Gambeya boiviniana ''Gambeya boiviniana'', commonly known as ''famelona'', is species of evergreen tree native to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands or Comoros (Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Co ...

'' Pierre (as ''C. boivinianum'' (Pierre) Baehni) *''

Gambeya boukokoensis ''Gambeya'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Sapotaceae. Its native range is Tropical Africa. It is found in the countries of Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, ...

'' Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. boukokoense'' (Aubrév. & Pellegr.) L.Gaut.) *'' Gambeya gigantea'' (A.Chev.) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. giganteum'' A.Chev.) *''

Gambeya gorungosana ''Gambeya gorungosana'' is species of evergreen tree native to eastern and central Africa. Range and habitat ''Gambeya gorungosana'' ranges across eastern and central Africa, from Mozambique and Zimbabwe through Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Burundi ...

'' (Engl.) Liben (as ''C. gorungosanum'' Engl.) *'' Gambeya lacourtiana'' (De Wild.) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. lacourtianum'' De Wild.) *''

Gambeya lungi ''Gambeya'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Sapotaceae. Its native range is Tropical Africa. It is found in the countries of Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo ...

'' (De Wild.) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. lungi'' De Wild.) *''

Gambeya muerensis ''Gambeya'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Sapotaceae. Its native range is Tropical Africa. It is found in the countries of Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo ...

'' (Engl.) Liben (as ''C. muerense'' Engl.) *''

Gambeya taiensis ''Gambeya'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Sapotaceae. Its native range is Tropical Africa. It is found in the countries of Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo ...

'' (Aubrév. & Pellegr.) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (as ''C. taiense'' Aubrév. & Pellegr.) *'' Jacquinia arborea'' Vahl (as ''C. barbasco'' Loefl.) *'' Micropholis rugosa'' (Sw.) Pierre (as ''C. rugosum'' Sw.) *'' Palaquium philippense'' (Perr.) C.B.Rob. (as ''C. philippense'' Perr.) *'' Pouteria alnifolia'' (Baker) Roberty (as ''C. alnifolium'' Baker) *''

Pouteria gardneri ''Pouteria gardneri'' is a species of plant in the family Sapotaceae. It is a tree native to Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Lat ...

'' (Mart. & Miq.) Baehni (as ''C. gardneri'' Mart. & Miq.) *'' Pouteria macrophylla'' (Lam.) Eyma (as ''C. macrophyllum'' Lam.) *''

Pouteria reticulata ''Pouteria'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees in the gutta-percha family (biology), family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical regions of the world. It includes the canistel (''Pouteria campechiana, P. campe ...

'' (Engl.) Eyma (as ''C. reticulatum'' Engl.) *'' Pradosia brevipes'' (Pierre) T.D.Penn. (as ''C. soboliferum'' Rizzini) *''

Pradosia lactescens ''Pradosia lactescens'' is a species of large tree in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to the Atlantic forests of Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in bot ...

'' (Vell.) Radlk. (as ''C. burahem'' Riedel)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2105812 Sapotaceae genera Neotropical realm flora