Pouteria Ramiflora

''Pouteria'' is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical regions of the world. It includes the canistel ('' P. campechiana''), the mamey sapote ('' P. sapota''), and the lucuma ('' P. lucuma''). Commonly, this genus is known as pouteria trees, or in some cases, eggfruits.

''Pouteria'' is related to ''Manilkara'', another genus that produces hard and heavy woods (e.g. ''balatá'', ''M. bidentata'') used commonly for tropical construction, as well as edible fruit (such as sapodilla, ''M. zapota'').

Uses

Many species, such as ''Pouteria maclayana'',Paper from the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
/ref> have edible fruits and are important foods, seasonally. Some are being commercially collected and sold on local markets or packed in cans.

''Pouteria'' species yield hard, heavy, resilient woods used as firewood and timber, but particularly in outdoor and naval construction, such as dock pilings, deckings, etc. Some species, such as abiu ('' P. caimito''), are considered to be shipworm resistant, but this depends on the silica content, which may vary from 0.0-0.9%. The weight by volume (at 12% moisture content) of ''Pouteria'' wood can be in excess of 1140 kg/m³ (71 lb/ft³; thus, the wood sinks in water. The wood of ''Pouteria'' species is prone to considerable movement and warping when it dries out, but in its main use, naval construction, this is not a problem, since the wood never gets really dry.

The vessel elements are relatively small and usually di- to quadriseriate; the medullary rays are fine and close together. ''Pouteria'' woods are capable of attaining an excellent polish using fine-grained sandpaper and possibly some wax. They can sometimes show an attractive figure of dark stripes against a sandy to mid-brown background colour. However, the wood is hardly used for furniture because it is so dense that items made from it would be difficult to transport. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to work using hand tools. Even using power tools, working these woods presents some problems, as well, but given some patience and practical knowledge, these can easily be solved.

For the silica to be effective against shipworms, it needs to dry to some degree to harden. When the wood is continually waterlogged, this process may take place very slowly or not at all, leaving the wood vulnerable.

''Pouteria'' foliage is used as food by some Lepidoptera caterpillars, including those of the dalcerid moth ''Dalcera abrasa'', which has been recorded on '' P. ramiflora''. The fruits are important food for various animals, such as the rock-haunting ringtail possum (''Petropseudes dahli'').

Due to habitat loss and in some cases overexploitation, many species of ''Pouteria'' are threatened. At least 10 are close to extinction, and one – the Rio de Janeiro pouteria ('' P. stenophylla''), which grew near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, is now extinct.

Systematics and taxonomy

''Pouteria'' is a "wastebasket taxon", and its size is continually being expanded or decreased. The segregated ''Labatia'', described by Olof Swartz in 1788 and named after the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Labat, was maintained as a distinct entity until the 1930s, when it was finally synonymized with ''Pouteria'' for good. Most segregated genera that were eventually merged with ''Pouteria'' again were established by Henri Ernest Baillon and Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre.USDA (2009)

Selected species

* '' Pouteria adolfi-friedericii''
* ''Pouteria altissima''
* '' Pouteria amapaensis''
* ''Pouteria amygdalina''
* '' Pouteria andarahiensis''
* '' Pouteria anteridata''
* '' Pouteria arcuata''
* ''Pouteria areolatifolia''
* ''Pouteria arguacoensium''
* '' Pouteria aristata''
* ''Pouteria arnhemica'' (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria atabapoensis''
* ''Pouteria austin-smithii''
* ''Pouteria australis'' (R.Br.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria bapeba''
* '' Pouteria beaurepairei''
* '' Pouteria belizensis''
* '' Pouteria benai''
* '' Pouteria bonneriana''
* ''Pouteria bracteata''
* ''Pouteria brevensis''
* '' Pouteria brevipedicellata''
* '' Pouteria brevipetiolata''
* '' Pouteria briocheoides''
* ''Pouteria brownlessiana'' (F.Muell.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria buenaventurensis''
* ''Pouteria bullata''
* ''Pouteria butyrocarpa''
* ''Pouteria caimito'' – abiu
* '' Pouteria calistophylla''
* ''Pouteria campechiana'' – canistel, yellow sapote
* ''Pouteria canaimaensis''
* '' Pouteria capacifolia''
* ''Pouteria cayennensis''
* '' Pouteria chartacea'' (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria chiricana''
* ''Pouteria chocoensis''
* ''Pouteria cicatricata''
* '' Pouteria cinnamomea''
* ''Pouteria coelomatica''
* ''Pouteria collina''
* '' Pouteria congestifolia''
* ''Pouteria contermina''
* '' Pouteria costata'' – tawāpou, bastard ironwood
* ''Pouteria crassiflora''
* '' Pouteria cubensis''
* ''Pouteria cuspidata'' (A.DC.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria danikeri''
* ''Pouteria decorticans''
* '' Pouteria decussata''
* '' Pouteria durlandii''
* ''Pouteria eerwah'' (F.M.Bailey) Baehni – shiny-leaved condoo, black plum, wild apple
* '' Pouteria espinae''
* '' Pouteria euryphylla''
* '' Pouteria euphlebia'' (F.Muell.) Baehni
* ''Pouteria exstaminodia''
* ''Pouteria filiformis''
* ''Pouteria fossicola''
* '' Pouteria foveolata''
* ''Pouteria franciscana''
* '' Pouteria fulva''
* '' Pouteria furcata''
* '' Pouteria gabrielensis''
* '' Pouteria gallifructa''
* '' Pouteria gigantea''
* '' Pouteria glauca''
* ''Pouteria glomerata''
:* '' subsp. stylosa''
* ''Pouteria gracilis''
* '' Pouteria grandiflora''
* '' Pouteria guianensis'' Aubl.
* '' Pouteria hotteana''
* '' Pouteria howeana'' (F.Muell.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria izabalensis''
* '' Pouteria jariensis''
* '' Pouteria juruana''
* '' Pouteria kaalaensis''
* ''Pouteria kaieteurensis''
* ''Pouteria krukovii''
* ''Pouteria latianthera''
* ''Pouteria leptopedicellata''
* '' Pouteria longifolia''
* '' Pouteria lucens''
* ''Pouteria lucuma'' – lúcuma, lucumo
* '' Pouteria macahensis''
* ''Pouteria maclayana'' (F.Muell.) Baehni
* ''Pouteria macrocarpa''
* '' Pouteria macrophylla''
* ''Pouteria maguirei''
* '' Pouteria malaccensis'' (C.B.Clarke) Baehni
* '' Pouteria melanopoda''
* ''Pouteria micrantha''
* '' Pouteria microstrigosa''
* '' Pouteria minima''
* '' Pouteria moaensis''
* ''Pouteria multiflora''
* '' Pouteria myrsinoides'' (F.Muell.) Jessup
* '' Pouteria myrsinodendron'' (F.Muell.) Jessup
* '' Pouteria nemorosa''
* '' Pouteria nudipetala''
* ''Pouteria obovata'' (R.Br.) Baehni
* ''Pouteria oppositifolia''
* '' Pouteria orinocoensis''
* ''Pouteria oxypetala''
* '' Pouteria pachycalyx''
* '' Pouteria pachyphylla''
* ''Pouteria pallens''
* '' Pouteria pallida''
* '' Pouteria peduncularis''
* '' Pouteria penicillata''
* '' Pouteria peruviensis''
* '' Pouteria petiolata''
* '' Pouteria pimichinensis''
* ''Pouteria pisquiensis''
* '' Pouteria platyphylla''
* ''Pouteria pohlmaniana'' (F.Muell.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria polysepala''
* '' Pouteria psammophila''
* '' Pouteria pseudoracemosa''
* ''Pouteria puberula''
* ''Pouteria pubescens''
* ''Pouteria putamen-ovi''
* '' Pouteria retinervis''
* '' Pouteria rhynchocarpa''
* ''Pouteria ramiflora'' (Mart.) Radlk.
* ''Pouteria reticulata''
* '' Pouteria retinervis''
* ''Pouteria richardii'' (F.Muell.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria rigidopsis''
* '' Pouteria rostrata''
* ''Pouteria rufotomentosa''
* ''Pouteria sagotiana''
* '' Pouteria sandwicensis'' (A.Gray) Baehni & O.Deg. – ''Ālaa'' (Hawaii)
* ''Pouteria sapota'' – mamey sapote
* '' Pouteria sclerocarpa''
* ''Pouteria scrobiculata''
* '' Pouteria semecarpifolia''
* '' Pouteria sessilis''
* ''Pouteria silvestris''
* ''Pouteria sipapoensis''
* '' Pouteria splendens''
* ''Pouteria squamosa''
* ''Pouteria stenophylla'' (extinct)
* ''Pouteria subsessilifolia''
* ''Pouteria tarapotensis''
* '' Pouteria tarumanensis''
* '' Pouteria tenuisepala''
* '' Pouteria torta'' (Mart.) Radlk. – Abiurana
:* ''subsp. tuberculata'' – Red Abiorana
* '' Pouteria trilocularis''
* ''Pouteria triplarifolia''
* '' Pouteria venosa''
:* ''subsp. amazonica''
* '' Pouteria vernicosa''
* ''Pouteria virescens'' – asipoko
* ''Pouteria viridis'' (Pittier) Cronquist
* '' Pouteria williamii''
* '' Pouteria xerocarpa'' (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Baehni
* '' Pouteria xylocarpa''

Formerly placed here

* ''Englerophytum magalismontanum'' (as ''P. magalismontana'')
* ''Synsepalum dulcificum'' (Miracle Fruit, as ''P. dulcifica'')

Synonyms

Due to the uncertainty regarding its actual content, the number of synonyms of ''Pouteria'' is massive – at least when the genus is defined in the expanded sense:

* ''Achradelpha'' O.F.Cook
* ''Albertisiella'' Pierre ex Aubrév.
* ''Aningeria'' Aubrév. & Pellegr.
* ''Barylucuma'' Ducke
* ''Beauvisagea'' Pierre
* ''Beccarimnia'' Pierre ex Koord.
* ''Blabea'' Baehni
* ''Blabeia'' Baehni
* ''Bureavella'' Pierre
* ''Calocarpum'' Pierre
* ''Calospermum'' Pierre
* ''Caramuri'' Aubrév. & Pellegr.
* ''Chaetocarpus'' Schreb. (''non'' Thwaites: preoccupied)
* ''Daphniluma'' Baill.
* ''Discoluma'' Baill.
* ''Dithecoluma'' Baill.
* ''Eglerodendron'' Aubrév. & Pellegr.
* ''Englerella'' Pierre
* ''Eremoluma'' Baill.
* ''Fontbrunea'' Pierre
* ''Franchetella'' Pierre
* ''Gayella'' Pierre
* ''Gomphiluma'' Baill.
* ''Guapeba'' Gomes
* ''Hormogyne'' A.DC.
* ''Ichthyophora'' Baehni
* ''Iteiluma'' Baill.
* ''Krausella'' H.J.Lam
* ''Krugella'' Pierre
* ''Labatia'' Sw.
* ''Leioluma'' Baill.
* ''Lucuma'' Molina
* ''Maesoluma'' Baill.
* ''Malacantha'' Pierre
* ''Microluma'' Baill.
* ''Myrsiniluma'' Baill.
* ''Myrtiluma'' Baill.
* ''Nemaluma'' Baill.
* ''Neolabatia'' Aubrév.
* ''Neoxythece'' Aubrév. & Pellegr.
* ''Ochroluma'' Baill.
* ''Oxythece'' Miq.
* ''Paralabatia'' Pierre
* ''Peteniodendron'' Lundell
* ''Peuceluma'' Baill.
* ''Piresodendron'' Aubrév. ex Le Thomas
* ''Pleioluma'' Baill.
* ''Podoluma'' Baill.
* ''Poissonella'' Pierre
* "Prozetia" Neck. (''nom. inval.'')
* ''Pseudocladia'' Pierre
* ''Pseudolabatia'' Aubrév. & Pellegr.
* ''Pseudoxythece'' Aubrév.
* ''Pyriluma'' (Baill.) Aubrév.
* ''Radlkoferella'' Pierre
* ''Richardella'' Pierre
* ''Sandwithiodoxa'' Aubrév. & Pellegr.
* ''Siderocarpus'' ierre
* ''Syzygiopsis'' Ducke
* ''Urbanella'' Pierre
* ''Woikoia'' Baehni
* ''Wokoia'' Baehni

In addition, the following genera are sometimes included in ''Pouteria'' too:

* ''" Beccariella"'' Pierre (''non'' Cesati: preoccupied)
* '' Boerlagella'' Cogn.
* ''Planchonella'' Pierre
* '' Sersalisia'' R.Br.
* ''Van-royena'' Aubrév.

Footnotes

References

* (1996): Germplasm Resources Information Network &ndash
''Pouteria''
Version of 2009-Mar-31. Retrieved 2009-Nov-15.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2161497

Sapotaceae genera