Diospyros digyna

Diospyros digyna; Black Sapote
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ebenaceae
Genus:	Diospyros
Species:	D. digyna
Binomial name
	Diospyros digyna; Jacq.
Synonyms
	Diospyros ebenaster Retz.; Diospyros nigra (Blanco) Blanco; Diospyros nigra Perrott; Diospyros obtusifolia Humb. et Bonpl. ex Willd.

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Whole and opened ripe fruits

Diospyros digyna, the Black Sapote, is a species of persimmon that is native to eastern Mexico and Central America south to Colombia. Other names include Chocolate Pudding Fruit, Chocolate Persimmon and (in Spanish) Zapote Prieto.

[edit] Description

Mature trees can grow to over 25 m (82 ft) in height and are evergreen. It is frost sensitive. The leaves are elliptic-oblong, tapered at both ends, dark green, glossy, and 10–30 cm (3.9–12 in) long. The trees are dioecious, with individual trees bearing only female or male flowers.^[1]

Black Sapote fruit are tomato-like and measure 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) in diameter, with an inedible skin that turns from olive to a deep yellow-green when ripe and an edible pulp that turns from white when unripe to a flavor, color and texture often likened to chocolate pudding when ripe. The texture can be related to that of a papaya.

[edit] Nomenclature

It is unrelated to the mamey sapote (Sapotaceae), and the white sapote (Rutaceae). In south Florida it is also sometimes confused with the Coco Fruit, a toxic relative that can cause insanity.^{[citation needed]}.