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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Sapodilla
| image = Sapodilla tree.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Sapodilla tree
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Ericales]]
| familia = [[Sapotaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Manilkara]]''
| species = '''''M. zapota'''''
| binomial = ''Manilkara zapota''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]) P. Royen
}}
'''Sapodilla''' (''Manilkara zapota'') is a long-lived, [[evergreen]] [[tree]] native to the [[New World]] tropics.
[[image:Sapodilla fruit.jpg|thumb|left|Unripe Sapodilla fruit]]
Sapodilla grows to 30-40 m tall. It is wind-resistant and the bark is rich in a white, gummy [[latex]] called [[chicle]]. The ornamental [[leaf|leaves]] are medium green and glossy. They are alternate, elliptic to ovate, 7-15 cm long, with an entire margin. The white [[flower]]s are inconspicuous and bell-like, with a six-lobed corolla. The [[fruit]] is a large globose [[berry]], 4-8 cm in diameter, very much resembling a smooth-skinned [[potato]] and containing 2-10 [[seed]]s. Inside, its flesh ranges from a pale yellow to an earthy brown color with a grainy texture akin to that of a well-ripened [[pear]]. The flavour is exceptionally sweet and quite delicious. The seeds are black and resemble beans, with a hook at one end that can catch in the throat if swallowed.
The chikoo trees yield [[fruit]] twice a year, though flowering may continue year round. The fruit has a high latex content and does not ripen until picked. Some are round and some are oval with pointed ends. It is a native of [[Mexico]] and was introduced to the [[Philippines]] during Spanish colonisation.
[[image:Chikoo.JPG|thumb|left|Sapodillas]]
[[image:GNTsapota1.jpg|thumb|left|Sold on a street at [[Guntur]], [[India]].]]
==Other Names==
Sapodilla was formerly often known by the invalid name ''Achras sapota''. It is known as ''chikoo'' or ''sapota'' in [[India]], ''sofeda '' in [[Bangladesh]], ''chikoo'' (also spelled "chikku," "chiku," or "ciku") in [[South Asia]] and [[Pakistan]], ''tsiko'' in the [[Philippines]], ''sawo'' in [[Indonesia]], ''ciku'' in [[Malaysia]], ''hồng xiêm'' (''xa pô chê'') in [[Vietnam]], sapodilla or ''rata-mi'' in [[Sri Lanka]], ''lamoot'' (ละมุด) in [[Thailand]] and [[Cambodia]], ''níspero'' in [[Venezuela]], dilly in [[the Bahamas]], naseberry in the rest of the [[West Indies]], ''sapoti'' in [[Brazil]], and ''sapote'' in [[Nicaragua]].
The fruit's flavor has been compared to [[cotton candy]] or [[caramel]].
==Chiku==
It has many names in India including as shown above "chiku". The [[slang]] term "Chikus" is also a term used for those who return to [[India]] (not an endearing term).
==See also==
*[[Black sapote]]
*[[Mamey sapote]]
==External links and references==
{{commons|Manilkara zapota}}
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/sapodilla.html CRFG Publications: Sapodilla]
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/sapodilla.html Sapodilla]
[[Category:Sapotaceae]]
[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Trees of Mexico]]
[[Category:Trees of the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Trees of Guyana]]
[[Category:Vietnamese cuisine]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = Sapodilla
| image = Sapodilla tree.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Sapodilla tree
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Ericales]]
| familia = [[Sapotaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Manilkara]]''
| species = '''''M. zapota'''''
| binomial = ''Manilkara zapota''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]) P. Royen
}}
'''Sapodilla''' (''Manilkara zapota'') is a long-lived, [[evergreen]] [[tree]] native to the [[New World]] tropics.
[[image:Sapodilla fruit.jpg|thumb|left|Unripe Sapodilla fruit]]
Sapodilla grows to 30-40 m tall. It is wind-resistant and the bark is rich in a white, gummy [[latex]] called [[chicle]]. The ornamental [[leaf|leaves]] are medium green and glossy. They are alternate, elliptic to ovate, 7-15 cm long, with an entire margin. The white [[flower]]s are inconspicuous and bell-like, with a six-lobed corolla. The [[fruit]] is a large globose [[berry]], 4-8 cm in diameter, very much resembling a smooth-skinned [[potato]] and containing 2-10 [[seed]]s. Inside, its flesh ranges from a pale yellow to an earthy brown color with a grainy texture akin to that of a well-ripened [[pear]]. The flavour is exceptionally sweet and quite delicious. The seeds are black and resemble beans, with a hook at one end that can catch in the throat if swallowed.
The chikoo trees yield [[fruit]] twice a year, though flowering may continue year round. The fruit has a high latex content and does not ripen until picked. Some are round and some are oval with pointed ends. It is a native of [[Mexico]] and was introduced to the [[Philippines]] during Spanish colonisation.
[[image:Chikoo.JPG|thumb|left|Sapodillas]]
[[image:GNTsapota1.jpg|thumb|left|Sold on a street at [[Guntur]], [[India]].]]
==Other Names==
Sapodilla was formerly often known by the invalid name ''Achras sapota''. It is known as ''chikoo'' or ''sapota'' in [[India]], ''sofeda '' in [[Bangladesh]], ''chikoo'' (also spelled "chikku," "chiku," or "ciku") in [[South Asia]] and [[Pakistan]], ''tsiko'' in the [[Philippines]], ''sawo'' in [[Indonesia]], ''ciku'' in [[Malaysia]], ''hồng xiêm'' (''xa pô chê'') in [[Vietnam]], sapodilla or ''rata-mi'' in [[Sri Lanka]], ''lamoot'' (ละมุด) in [[Thailand]] and [[Cambodia]], ''níspero'' in [[Venezuela]], dilly in [[the Bahamas]], naseberry in the rest of the [[West Indies]], ''sapoti'' in [[Brazil]], and ''sapote'' in [[Nicaragua]].
The fruit's flavor has been compared to [[cotton candy]] or [[caramel]].
==Chiku==
It has many names in India including as shown above "chiku". The [[slang]] term "Chikus" is also a term used for those who return to [[India]] (not an endearing term).
==See also==
*[[Black sapote]]
*[[Mamey sapote]]
==External links and references==
{{commons|Manilkara zapota}}
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/sapodilla.html CRFG Publications: Sapodilla]
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/sapodilla.html Sapodilla]
[[Category:Sapotaceae]]
[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Trees of Mexico]]
[[Category:Trees of the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Trees of Guyana]]
[[Category:Vietnamese cuisine]]