Taxon: Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen

Summary

Genus:

Manilkara

Family:

Sapotaceae

Subfamily:

Sapotoideae

Tribe:

Sapoteae

Nomen number:

102614

Place of publication:

Blumea 7:410. 1953

Verified:

11/16/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

114 (51 active, 51 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Achras zapota L.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Achradelpha mammosa O. F. Cook
Achras mammosa L.
Achras zapota L. var. zapota
Calocarpum mammosum Pierre
Lucuma mammosa C. F. Gaertn.
Pouteria mammosa Cronquist

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Achras zapota L. var. zapotilla Jacq.
Achras zapotilla (Jacq.) Nutt.
Manilkara achras (Mill.) Fosberg
Manilkara zapotilla (Jacq.) Gilly
Sapota zapotilla (Jacq.) Coville

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Alcorn, P. W. 2002. Chapter 4. Chicle (Manilkara zapota). People and plants Conservation Series 49-60. Note: this review provides information on this species as a natural, unmanaged resouce exploited by its latex, and its use based on traditional silvicultural practices
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Boutelje, J. B. 1980. Encyclopedia of world timbers, names and technical literature
Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage
Facciola, S. 1990. Cornucopia, a source book of edible plants Kampong Publications.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2001. World checklist and bibliography of Sapotaceae
Hackett, C. & J. Carolane. 1982. Edible Horticultural Crops Academic Press.
IPGRI. New World Fruits Database (on-line resource).
Kaur, S. et al. 2020. Propagation studies in Sapodilla [Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen]: A review. Agric. Rev. 41:356-363.
Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Li, S.-X. et al. 2019. Complete plastome sequence of Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen (Sapotaceae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B. 4:3114-3115. DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2019.1667915.
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Moore, H. E., Jr. & W. T. Stearn. 1967. The identity of Achras zapota L. and the names for the sapodilla and the sapote. Taxon 16:383.
Pennington, T. D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52:1-773.
Pennington, T. D. 1991. The genera of the Sapotaceae
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Punia Bangar, S. et al. 2022. A review of sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) in human nutrition, health, and industrial applications. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 127:319-334. DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2022.05.016. Note: Elsevier.
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Reichel, S. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. German common names
Reitz, R., ed. 1965-. Flora ilustrada catarinense. Note: = Achras zapota L.
Sathananda,, P. N. et al. 2022. Development and characterization of microsatellite markers, genetic diversity and population structure analysis in Sapota (Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen). Genet. Resources Crop Evol. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-022-01399-2.
Smith, R. J. Botanical beads of the world (on-line resource).
Thompson, K. M. et al. 2015. Genetic variation and structure in the neotropical tree, Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen (Sapotaceae) used by the ancient Maya. Tree Genet. Genomes 11:40.
Verheij, E. W. M. & R. E. Coronel, eds. 1991. Edible fruits and nuts. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 2:220.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
Yaacob, O. & S. Subhadrabandhu. 1995. The production of economic fruits in South-East Asia
1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	chicle	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	naseberry	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	sapodilla	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	sapote	1	1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
French	sapotier	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	sapotillier	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Breiapfelbaum	2	Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage
German	Kaugummibaum	2	Reichel, S. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. German common names
German	Sapodillbaum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Sapote	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	chico sapote	2	Facciola, S. 1990. Cornucopia, a source book of edible plants Kampong Publications.
Spanish	níspero	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	zapote	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	zapotillo	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedish	sapotillplommon	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Chihuahua		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Durango		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Querétaro		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Pennington, T. D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52:1-773.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala			Pennington, T. D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52:1-773.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Pennington, T. D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52:1-773.
2	Cultivated					widely cult. in tropics	Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2001. World checklist and bibliography of Sapotaceae
5	Uncertain	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador		native status uncertain	Pennington, T. D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52:1-773.

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chihuahua, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua

Cultivated (widely cult. in tropics)
Uncertain
Southern America

CENTRAL AMERICA: El Salvador (native status uncertain)

Reference(s)

Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2001. World checklist and bibliography of Sapotaceae
Pennington, T. D. 1990. Sapotaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 52:1-773.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:885.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Human food	fruit		Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Human food	gum/mucilage	gum extracted from stem, base of chewing gum	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Materials	beads		Smith, R. J. Botanical beads of the world (on-line resource).
Materials	wood	timber	Boutelje, J. B. 1980. Encyclopedia of world timbers, names and technical literature
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=102614. Accessed 9 May 2026.