Edward F. Gilman, Dennis G. Watson, Ryan W. Klein, Andrew K. Koeser, Deborah R. Hilbert, and Drew C. McLean
Introduction
A superb shade, street (where falling fruit will not be a problem), or fruit tree, sapodilla reaches a height of 60 feet with a 45-foot spread. The smooth, dark, and glossy, five-inch-long evergreen leaves are clustered at the tips of twigs and the small, cream-colored solitary flowers appear in the leaf axils throughout the year. The four-inch-wide, scurfy brown fruits have a juicy, sweet, yellow-brown flesh and ripen to softness in spring and summer. The flower-to-fruit period is about ten months. The bark and branches, when injured, bleed a white latex which is the source of chicle, the original base for chewing gum. The trunk on older specimens is flaky and quite attractive, and flares at the base into numerous surface roots.
Figure 1. Full Form - Manilkara zapota: Sapodilla Credit: UF/IFAS
General Information
Scientific name: Manilkara zapota
Pronunciation: man-ill-KAR-uh zuh-POE-tuh
Common name(s): sapodilla
Family: Sapotaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 10B through 11 (Figure 2)
Origin: native to Mexico and Central America
UF/IFAS Invasive Assessment Status: invasive and not recommended (Central, South); not considered a problem species at this time, may be recommended (North)
Uses: hedge; shade; fruit; street without sidewalk; specimen; highway median; screen
Figure 2. Range
Description
Height: 40 to 60 feet
Spread: 35 to 45 feet
Crown uniformity: symmetrical
Crown shape: pyramidal, round
Crown density: dense
Growth rate: moderate
Texture: coarse
Foliage
Leaf arrangement: alternate but appears whorled near branch tips
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: entire
Leaf shape: elliptic
Leaf venation: pinnate
Leaf type and persistence: evergreen, broadleaf evergreen
Leaf blade length: 2 to 5 inches
Leaf color: emerge pinkish and then turn dark green on top and paler green underneath
Requiring full sun for best growth and form, sapodilla is a tough tree tolerating a variety of poor soils but will grow better on well-drained soils. It has a good salt tolerance and is very drought and wind-resistant, enduring hurricanes very well. Thinning the very dense crown will help to increase grass and other plant growth beneath the crown and increase wind tolerance. These traits make it ideal for seaside locations. The trunk and roots grow quite large on older specimens, so locate no closer than about eight to ten feet from sidewalks and curbs. It makes a superb specimen tree for a large residential landscape or commercial landscape.
A central trunk often develops with little training. It dominates the young tree forming a pyramidal-shaped canopy. Improper pruning practices such as topping, forms many clustered leaders and can shorten the life of the tree.
Superior fruit cultivars are available: `Prolific', `Brown Sugar', `Modello', and `Russel'. Manilkara bahamensis, the wild dilly, is native to the Florida Keys and has less desirable fruit.
Propagation is usually by seed, with superior varieties being veneer-grafted.
Pests
Scales and fruit flies occasionally cause problems. Seedlings develop in the landscape where they could become a slight weed problem.
Reference
Koeser, A.K., Friedman, M.H., Hasing, G., Finley, H., Schelb, J. 2017. Trees: South Florida and the Keys. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
