''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 ''Cyrtocarpa'' is a genus of trees in the subfamily Spondiadoideae of the cashew and sumac family Anacardiaceae. Their habitat is dry forests to open arid areas. They grow naturally in Mexico and northern South America. Species ''The Plant List' ...

'', and is endemic to

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

. This plant is characterized by fleshy stems, twisted branches and an edible

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

Description

These spreading trees or shrubs may grow 5 to 8 meters in height with smooth, light-grey bark and have a thick,

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

trunk that can reach m in diameter. Plants on sand dunes may grow in a

prostrate Prostrate may refer to:- *Prostration, a position of submission in religion etc. *Prone position, a face-down orientation of the body *Prostrate shrub A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ...

habit. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are

pinnately Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

compound, and 4 to 10 cm long, composed of 7 to 11 ovate or elliptic shaped leaflets. The dioecious flowers are white and tinged with green, the female flowers with 5 petals 1.5 to 3 mm long. The fruit is an oblong to ovoid shaped

, 1.5 to 2 cm long, and green to yellow when ripe.

Taxonomy

Two varieties of this species are recognized: * ''Cyrtocarpa edulis'' var. ''edulis —'' Commonly known as the Cape wild-plum. The autonymous variety, with dense pubescence (hairs; trichomes) on the leaves, flowers, and fruits. * ''Cytrocarpa edulis'' var. ''glabra'' León de la Luz & Pérez Navarro — Commonly known as the Cape smooth wild-plum. This variety is characterized by a lack of trichomes (glabrous condition) on the leaves, flowers, and fruits. Both varieties are

sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...

with each other, but var. ''glabra'' has a more restricted range, mostly along the Pacific coast.

Distribution and habitat

This species most commonly occurs in the Cape Region of

, but may be found in the mountain ranges from the southern Sierra de la Giganta to Los Cabos. It also occurs on the adjacent islands of San Jose, Espiritu Santo, and Cerralvo in the southern Gulf of California. This plant is commonly found on sandy plains and slopes, and often in arid, tropical forests or in areas of deep soil in the mountains. It is intolerant of shade in the foothills, and is sensitive to low winter temperature in the highlands.

Uses

This species has been introduced into horticultural circles via the Huntington Botanical Gardens International Succulent Introductions program in 2021. It can be propagated from both seed or cuttings, as the branches may be sufficiently succulent to root. The edible fruit is used locally. The drought-tolerant nature of this species may make it a viable fruit crop for arid land.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar

edulis Edulis, edible in Latin, is a species name present in a number of Latin species names: * '' Acioa edulis'', the Castanha-de-cutia, a fruit and timber tree species * '' Aglaia edulis'', a plant species found in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indon ...

Trees of Baja California Sur Endemic flora of Mexico Taxa named by Paul Carpenter Standley Taxa named by Townshend Stith Brandegee Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges