Manilkara

"Sapota" redirects here. This can also specifically refer to the Sapodilla (M. zapodilla).

Manilkara
Manilkara jaimiqui ssp. emarginata branch with developing fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Sapotaceae
Subfamily:	Sapotoideae
Tribe:	Sapoteae
Genus:	Manilkara Adans., conserved name
Type species
M. kauki (L.) Dubard
Synonyms
Achras L. (rejected name) Sapota Mill. (superfluous name) Stisseria Scop. 1777 illegitimate homonym not Stisseria Heist. ex Fabr. 1759 (Apocynaceae) Hornschuchia Spreng. Synarrhena Fisch. & C.A.Mey. Eichleria M.M.Hartog Muriea M.M.Hartog Mahea Pierre ex L.Planch. Northiopsis Kaneh. Shaferodendron Gilly Murianthe (Baill.) Aubrév. Abebaia Baehni Nispero Aubrév. Manilkariopsis (Gilly) Lundell Chiclea Lundell Mopania Lundell

Manilkara is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. They are widespread in tropical and semitropical locations, in Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, as well as various islands in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. A close relative is the genus Pouteria.

Trees of this genus yield edible fruit, useful wood, and latex. The best-known species are M. bidentata (balatá), M. chicle (chicle) and M. zapota (sapodilla). M. hexandra is the floral emblem of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province in Thailand, where it is known as rayan. M. obovata shares the vernacular name of African pear with another completely different species, Dacryodes edulis, and neither should be confused with Baillonella toxisperma, known by the very similar name, African pearwood.

The generic name, Manilkara, is derived from manil-kara, a vernacular name for M. kauki in Malayalam.

Manilkara trees are often significant, or even dominant species in their native ecosystems, such as East Deccan dry evergreen forests, Central American premontane tropical wet forests, or together with Cynometra, in the Arabuko Sokoke National Park.

Manilkara fruit are an important food item for various frugivores, in particular birds. The red fruit bat (Stenoderma rufum) is the primary – and possibly the only – seed disperser of M. bidentata in parts of the Caribbean. Tuckerella xiamenensis, a species of peacock mite, was described from a sapodilla tree.

Several species are endangered due to overexploitation and habitat destruction. M. gonavensis of Haiti and M. spectabilis of Costa Rica are almost extinct.

Selected species

These species are among those included in the genus Manilkara:

Manilkara adolfo-friederici (Engl. & K.Krause) H.J.Lam Manilkara altissima (Engl.) H.J.Lam Manilkara amazonica (Huber) Standl. Manilkara angolensis Lecomte ex Pellegr. Manilkara argentea Pierre ex Dubard Manilkara aubrevillei Sillans Manilkara balata (Aubl.) Dubard Manilkara bella Monach. Manilkara bequaertii (De Wild.) H.J.Lam Manilkara bidentata (A.DC.) A.Chev. – balatá, ausubo, bulletwood, massaranduba, cow-tree or purple-heart Manilkara boivinii Aubrév. Manilkara bojeri (A.DC.) H.J.Lam Manilkara bolivarensis T.D.Penn. Manilkara breviloba Gilly Manilkara butugi Chiov. Manilkara calcicola (Pittier) Gilly Manilkara calderonii Gilly Manilkara calophylloides H.J.Lam Manilkara capuronii Aubrév. Manilkara casteelsii (De Wild.) H.J.Lam Manilkara cavalcantei Pires & Rodrigues ex T.D.Penn. Manilkara chicle (Pittier) Gilly – chicle Manilkara concolor (Harv. ex C.H.Wr.) Gerstn. Manilkara celebica H.J.Lam Manilkara conzattii Gilly Manilkara cordifolia P.Royen Manilkara costata Dubard Manilkara cuneifolia Dubard Manilkara dardanoi Ducke Manilkara darienensis (Pittier) Standl. Manilkara dawei (Stapf) Chiov. Manilkara decrescens T.D.Penn Manilkara discolor (Sond.) J.H.Hemsl. Manilkara dissecta Dubard Manilkara doeringii (Engl. & K.Krause) H.J.Lam Manilkara duckei Monach. Manilkara dukensis (Engl. & K.Krause) H.J.Lam Manilkara duplicata (Sessé & Moc.) Dubard Manilkara eickii (Engl.) H.J.Lam Manilkara elata (Allemão ex Miq.) Monach. Manilkara excelsa (Ducke) Standl. Manilkara excisa (Urb.) H.J.Lam Manilkara fasciculata (Warb.) H.J.Lam & Maas Geester. Manilkara fischeri (Engl.) H.J.Lam Manilkara floribunda (Mart.) Dubard Manilkara fouilloyana Aubrév. & Pellegr. Manilkara frondosa (Hiern) H.J.Lam Manilkara gaumeri Gilly Manilkara gonavensis (Urb. & Ekman) Gilly ex Cronquist Manilkara grisebachii (Pierre) Dubard Manilkara guillotii (Hochr.) H.J.Lam Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard – palai, palu or rayan Manilkara hoshinoi (Kaneh.) P.Royen Manilkara howardii Gilly Manilkara huberi (Ducke) A.Chev. Manilkara ilendensis (Engl.) H.J.Lam Manilkara inundata (Ducke) Ducke ex Monach. Manilkara jaimiqui (C.Wright) Dubard – wild dilly Manilkara kanosiensis H.J.Lam & B.Meeuse – torem or sawai Manilkara kauki (L.) Dubard – caqui or wongi Manilkara koechlinii Aubrév. & Pellegr. Manilkara kribensis (Engl.) H.J.Lam Manilkara kurziana H.J.Lam & B.Meeuse Manilkara lacera Dubard Manilkara laciniata (Lecomte) P.Royen Manilkara letestui Aubrév. & Pellegr. Manilkara letouzei Aubrév. Manilkara littoralis Dubard

Manilkara longiciliata Ducke Manilkara longifolia (A.DC.) Dubard Manilkara longistyla (De Wild.) C.M.Evrard Manilkara lososiana Kenfack & Ewango Manilkara mabokeensis Aubrév. Manilkara macaulayae (Hutch. & Corbishly) H.J.Lam Manilkara maclaudii Pierre ex Lecomte Manilkara matanou Aubrév. & Pellegr. Manilkara maxima T.D.Penn Manilkara mayarensis (Ekman ex Urb.) Cronquist Manilkara menyhartii (Engl.) H.J.Lam Manilkara meridionalis Gilly Manilkara microphylla Aubrév. & Pellegr. Manilkara mochisia (Bak.) Dubard Manilkara multifida T.D.Penn Manilkara multinervis Dubard Manilkara napali P.Royen Manilkara natalensis Dubard Manilkara nato-lahyensis P.Royen Manilkara nicholsonii A.E.van Wyk Manilkara nitida (Sessé & Moc.) Dubard Manilkara obovata (Sabine & G.Don) J.H.Hemsl. – African pear Manilkara pancheri Dubard Manilkara paraensis (Huber) Standl. Manilkara pleeana (Pierre ex Baill.) Cronquist Manilkara pellegriniana Tisserant & Sillans Manilkara perrieri Aubrév. Manilkara pobeguinii Pierre ex Dubard Manilkara propinqua (S.Moore) H.J.Lam Manilkara pubicarpa Monach. Manilkara remotifolia Pierre ex Dubard Manilkara rojasii Gilly Manilkara roxburghiana (Wight) Dubard Manilkara rufula (Miq.) H.J.Lam Manilkara sahafarensis Aubrév. Manilkara salzmannii (A.DC.) H.J.Lam Manilkara samoensis H.J.Lam & B.Meeuse Manilkara schweinfurthii Dubard Manilkara seretii (De Wild.) H.J.Lam Manilkara sideroxylon (Hook.) Dubard Manilkara siqueiraei Ducke Manilkara smithiana H.J.Lam & Maas Geester. Manilkara sohihy Aubrév. Manilkara spectabilis (Pittier) Standl. Manilkara spiculosa (Hutch. & Corbishly) H.J.Lam Manilkara staminodella Gilly Manilkara striata Gilly Manilkara suarezensis Aubrév. Manilkara subsericea (Mart.) Dubard Manilkara sulcata Dubard Manilkara surinamensis (Miq.) Dubard Manilkara sylvestris Aubrév. & Pellegr. Manilkara tabogaensis Gilly Manilkara tampoloensis Aubrév. Manilkara teysmanni Dubard Manilkara thouvenotii (Lecomte) P.Royen Manilkara triflora (Allemão) Monach. Manilkara udoido Kaneh. Manilkara umbraculigera (Hutch. & Corbishly) H.J.Lam Manilkara valenzuelana (A.Rich.) T.D.Penn. Manilkara vitiensis (H.J.Lam & v.Olden) B.Meeuse Manilkara welwitschii Dubard Manilkara williamsii Standl. Manilkara wrightiana (Pierre) Dubard Manilkara zanzibarensis Dubard Manilkara zapota (L.) P.Royen – sapodilla, sapota, sapoti or dilly (Bahamas), naseberry (Caribbean), chico, chiku, ciku, snake fruit, níspero, nipero, mespel Manilkara zenkeri Lecomte ex Aubrév. & Pellegr.

Manilkara zapota plant in Tamil Nadu, India