Caimitillo, Croton like micropholis
Micropholis crotonoides

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 40 m high. The trunk can be 80 cm across. It has narrow buttresses. The young shoots have fine hairs at first. The bark becomes greyish-brown and rough and cracked. The leaves are spaced and alternate. They can be arranged in spirals. They are 5.3-19 cm long by 1.9-9.2 cm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. The lower surface is usually silvery. There are 12-25 pairs of secondary veins. The leaf stalk is 1-2.8 cm long. The flowers have only one sex but both are on the same plant. There are 3-20 flowers in a tuft near the axils of leaves. The flowers are yellowish-green. The fruit are 1.6-3.5 cm long and oval. The fruit are purple to black at maturity. The fruit is edible. There is one seed. It is 1.4-2.3 cm long. It has a hard, smooth, shiny coat.

There are 38 Micropholis species in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in wet mountain and cloud forest. It grows between 1,300 - 2,600 m altitude. It can grow down to sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, South America, St Lucia, Venezuela

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Balata chien, Vara de mar

Synonyms

Crepinodendron crotonoides Pierre; Chrysophyllum crotonoides Klotsch ex Pierre; Lucuma crotonoides (Pierre) Engler & Prantl; Sprucella crotonoides (Pierre) Pierre; Pouteria crotonoides (Pierre) Baehni;