Manilkara zapota

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Ebenales
Family: Sapotaceae
Genus: Manilkara
Species: M.zapota
Scientific Name: Manilkara zapota (L.) P.Royen.

Common Names:
English: Sapota, sapodilla plum.
Hindi: Chikoo.
Kannada: Chikku.
Marathi: Chiku.

Description:

1. Habit and Habitat: A medium sized tree with numerous branching. Terrestrial habitat.
2. Distribution: Chikoo is native to Central America. Global Distribution - India: Andaman & Nicobar Island, Assam, Madhya Pradesh; Tropical America.Local Distribution – Bongaigaon.
3. Morphology:
   Leaf: are highly ornamental, evergreen, glossy, alternate, spirally clustered at the tips of the forked twigs; elliptic, pointed at both ends, firm, 7.5-11.25 cm long and 2.5-4 cm wide.
   Flower: are small and bell-like, with 3 brown-hairy outer sepals and 3 inner sepals enclosing the pale-green corolla and 6 stamens. They are borne on slender stalks at the leaf bases.
   Fruit: fruit may be nearly round, oblate, oval, ellipsoidal, or conical; varies from 2 to 4 in 5-10 cm in width. When immature it is hard, gummy and very astringent. Though smooth-skinned it is coated with a sandy brown scurf until fully ripe. The flesh ranges in color from yellowish to light- or dark-brown or sometimes reddish-brown; may be coarse and somewhat grainy or smooth; becomes soft and very juicy, with a sweet flavor resembling that of a pear. Some fruits are seedless, but normally there may be from 3 to 12 seeds which are easily removed as they are loosely held in a whorl of slots in the center of the fruit. They are brown or black, with one white margin; hard, glossy; long-oval, flat, with usually a distinct curved hook on one margin; and about 2 cm long.
   Seed: sapodilla trees yield fruit twice a yearEach fruit contains one to six seeds. The seeds are hard, glossy, and black, resembling beans.
   Flowering: August - October.
   Fruit ripening: January onwards.
4. Propagation: By seedes.
5. Importance:
   Medicinal, the wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in the sapota fruit makes it an amazing choice for healthy and glowing skin. Thus, this article will be incomplete without talking about the skin benefits of this tasty fruit.
6. Location: Botanical Garden.