Mamey -The marmalades of the jungle-

Other names: Sapote, Marmalade Fruit, Marmalade Tree

Botanical name: Pouteria sapota (Sapotaceae)

Mamey is native and grows in jungles of Tropical America. Another Spanish name zapote is derived from the Aztec word tzapoti, meaning soft fruit. Mamey can grow 30 m (98 ft) tall and achieve a 90 cm (3 ft) trunk diameter. If the trunk or the tree is damaged, it bleeds rubbery latex. The coffee-colored or reddish, hard wood is in great demand in furniture manufacture.

THE SHY FLOWERS – THE DELICIOUS FRUITS

Mamey blooms and bears fruit from January to October, usually bearing fruit at the age of eight. The flowers are tiny and yellowish and bloom in clusters at the leaf bases. The fruit is 6-25 cm (2-10 inch) long, green initially but turning brown or greyish when ripe. The peel looks like sandpaper, still being soft. Like Avocado, Mamey has one big seed inside the fruit. The taste of the fruit is pleasant and soft. The fruit flesh is orange and red, resembling avocado. Picked straight from the tree, the fruit is a tempting treat and can be made into sherbet, jam, drinks and marmalade. One of the common names for the tree is Marmalade Fruit derived from the marmalade made from the tree’s delicious fruits. The fruit contains plenty of vitamin A, C and B3, as well as calcium and phosphorus. Up to 60 percent of the seeds are Vaseline -like fat, used in soaps and cosmetics.

THE TREATMENT

Mamey has its own gifts for nature’s medicine cabinet. The medical use requires accuracy, for some tree parts, such as the leaves, latex and seeds, are poisonous if overdosed. The oil from the seeds is traditionally used to get rid of dandruff and prevent hair loss. The latex cures fungal diseases of the skin and the leaf tea has been used to treat high blood pressure.