Taxon: Spondias purpurea L.

Summary

Genus:

Spondias

Family:

Anacardiaceae

Subfamily:

Spondiadoideae

Nomen number:

35337

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. ed. 2, 1:613. 1762

Protologue link:

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11629067

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

11/07/1985 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

10 (2 active, 2 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

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

Autonym(s)
Spondias purpurea L. var. purpurea

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Spondias cirouella Tussac

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
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.
Berhaut, J. 1971-. Flore illustrée du Senegal.
Edições Melhoramentes. 1979. The new Michaelis illustrated dictionary (Novo Michaelis dicionário ilustrado), ed. 22/24 Note: Edições Melhoramentes, São Paulo, Brazil
Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1987. Flora of Ecuador. 30:38-40.
Howard, R. 1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles. 5:103-104.
IPGRI. New World Fruits Database (on-line resource).
Koziol, M. J. & M. J. Macia. 1998. Chemical composition, nutritional evaluation, and economic prospects of Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae). Econ. Bot. 52:373-380.
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Macbride, J. F. et al., eds. 1936-. Flora of Peru Note: 1936-1971; new ser. 1980-
Macia, M. J. & A. S. Barfod. 2000. Economic botany of Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae) in Ecuador. Econ. Bot. 54:449-458.
Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.
Missouri Botanical Garden. W³Tropicos (on-line resource).
Mitchell, J. D. 1996. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
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).
Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana.
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) 2:288.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	hog-plum	1	Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
English	purple mombin	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	red mombin	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	Spanish-plum	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
French	mombin rouge	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	prune d'Espagne	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	rote Mombinpflaume	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese	imbu	2	Edições Melhoramentes. 1979. The new Michaelis illustrated dictionary (Novo Michaelis dicionário ilustrado), ed. 22/24 Note: Edições Melhoramentes, São Paulo, Brazil
Portuguese	imbuzeiro	2	Edições Melhoramentes. 1979. The new Michaelis illustrated dictionary (Novo Michaelis dicionário ilustrado), ed. 22/24 Note: Edições Melhoramentes, São Paulo, Brazil
Portuguese (Brazil)	cirigüela	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	ciruela	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	serigüela	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanish	cireula mexicana	2	Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.
Spanish	ciruela española	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	ciruelo	2	Mitchell, J. D. 1996. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
Spanish	ovo	2	Koziol, M. J. & M. J. Macia. 1998. Chemical composition, nutritional evaluation, and economic prospects of Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae). Econ. Bot. 52:373-380.
Spanish (Mexico)	jocote	2	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Swedish	röd mombinspondias	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. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Durango		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
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. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
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. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Querétaro		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
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. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica			Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador			Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala			Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras			Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador			Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1987. Flora of Ecuador. 30:38-40.
2	Cultivated					in neotropics	Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.

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, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Ecuador

Cultivated (in neotropics)

Reference(s)

Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1987. Flora of Ecuador. 30:38-40.
Miller, A. & B. Schaal. 2005. Domestication of a Mesoamerican cultivated fruit tree, Spondias purpurea. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102:12801-12806.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:603. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Human food	fruit		Macia, M. J. & A. S. Barfod. 2000. Economic botany of Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae) in Ecuador. Econ. Bot. 54:449-458.
Human food	fruit		Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics

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=35337. Accessed 17 April 2026.