Chicle faisan, Faisan
Sideroxylon stevensonii

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows up to 45 m high. The trunk is 90 cm across. The young branches have short reddish hairs. It does not have spines. The leaves are arranged in spirals. They can also be loosely clustered at the ends of stems. The leaves are 15-26 cm long by 7-11.2 cm wide. They are broadly oblong or sword shaped. There are reddish hairs underneath. There are 12-16 pairs of secondary veins. The leaf stalk is 2-4.5 cm long. The flowers contain both sexes and are in the axils of fallen leaves. There are 5-15 flowers in a group. The flower stalk is 1-1.5 cm long. The fruit are 2-2.5 cm long by 1.7-2 cm wide. They are broadly oval. There is one seed. It is 1.3-1.5 cm long. It has a hard, shiny, smooth coat.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in wet lowland forest. It grows up to 800 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Belize, Central America, Guatemala

How it is used for food

The latex is used as a substitute for chicle.

Edible parts

Latex

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Zapote faisan

Synonyms

Dipholis stevensonii Standley; Bumelia stevensonii (Standley)Stearn.; Sideroxylon rufotomentosum Standley;