How to Grow a Mamey Tree AKA Sapote

If you've never heard of the mamey fruit, pouteria sapota, you're not alone! This tropical fruit is not well known in North America, but it is a very popular tree especially in the Caribbean. The mamey fruit, also known as mamey sapote, or just sapote, is a round, brown fruit that is about 4-8 inches across. It's extremely aromatic with an orange colored flesh that tastes like an apricot or raspberry. To me personally, the mamey fruit tastes more like a sweet potato!

The tree looks a lot like a magnolia tree and can reach up to 75 feet in height. Looking to learn how to grow a mamey tree? If so, you need to live in a tropical or near tropical region in order for this tree to grow! The mamey fruit cannot sustain cold temperatures and will die off quickly if exposed to cold.

Additionally, the mamey fruit does not travel well either, and that is the reason you probably won't see it in stores either! But next time you head South, do ask the locals where you could get your hands on a mamey fruit or sapote – you won't regret trying this exotic fruit!

Mamey Fruit: Where Does it Come From and What is It?

Mamey fruits are native to the areas of the Caribbean, Central America, Northern South America, and the West Indies. This tree also grows in South Florida and Puerto Rico. Surprisingly, the mamey tree is rarely planted and grown for cultivation, but is rather just planted for landscape purposes. It is usually just found growing naturally along the sides of the roads in the Caribbean.

Mamey trees, Mammea Americana, is also sometimes called Sapote or Mammee, Mamey de Santo Domingo, Abricote, and Abricot d'Amerique. It is part of the Gutifferae family and related to the mangosteen. The mamey fruit is also sometimes easily confused with the sapote or mamey colorado, called just mamey in Cuba, or with the African mamey, M. Africana.

These trees are usually grown as an ornamental evergreen or to protect against the wind and provide shade. You will usually see mamey trees as ornamental trees in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Although it is sporadically cultivated in French Guiana, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam, Guyana, and Northern Brazil. According to the USDA, mamey seeds were brought from the Bahamas to the United States, more specifically Southern Florida in 1919.

What Does it Look Like?

The flesh of the mamey fruit is usually eaten raw, added to salads, boiled and/or cooked with sugar or syrup, and can even be made into wine. Additional uses of the mamey fruit include ice cream, sherbet, preserves, drinks, pies, tarts, and cakes.

The mamey fruit is usually an oblong shaped fruit that is round, and about 4-8 inches in length…similar to an avocado or a sweet potato it physically appearance. The skin is leathery and will usually ripen once off the tree. It has a russet brown color, similar to that of a potato.

The mamey tree closely resembles a magnolia tree and can reach heights of up to 75 feet. Its dark and dense foliage is around 8 inches long and 4 inches wide. The tree will usually bloom 4 to 6 very fragrant, white petal blooms and orange stems. The flowers of the mamey tree can be male, female, or hermaphrodite, and and be on the same or different tree. Flowers of the mamey fruit can bloom during and after fruiting.

How to Grow a Mamey Tree – Gardening Guide

Growing Mamey:

• As mentioned above, if you're interested in growing mamey trees, you need to live in a tropical climate for best results.
• You can also grow a mamey tree in a greenhouse. Do keep in mind that it grows quite tall so you'll need lots of room.
• The mamey tree is not too picky about the kind of soil you plant it in, but seeds must be propagated.
• The seeds will take about two months to germinate.
• Cuttings or graftings can be used as well.
• Water the seedling on a regular basis and make sure it's in a sunny spot.
• As long as your mamey tree is in a sunny and warm spot, it doesn't need much care.
• The tree will take about 6-10 years to bear fruit.

Harvesting Mamey:

• The mamey fruit is ready for harvest at different times, depending on where you live.
• For example, in Barbados, the mamey fruit is ready for harvest in April. In the Bahamas, it is ready for harvest in May through July.
• The fruit is ripe when a yellowing of the skin appears.

How to Eat Mamey/Sapote:

Mamey can be eaten raw and can taste a little bit like a sweet potato. Simply cut the fruit in half using a sharp knife, and scoop out the middle. Be sure to discard of the seed, or re-plant it to grow anther mamey tree! You can also add mamey to fruit salads, smoothies, milkshakes, and juices. Mamey is usually ready to eat when the fruit feels soft to the touch.

How to Tell When Mamey Sapote is Ripe and Ready to Eat

Not sure if your fruit is ready to be consumed? Check out this helpful video below, courtesy of Miami Fruit.

Mamey Nutrition Information:

This wonderful exotic fruit is filled with good vitamins and minerals! From 1 serving (which is half a fruit and about 113 grams), you'll get:

• Magnesium – 14% Recommended Daily Intake
• Vitamin C – 38% Recommended Daily Intake
• Iron – 8% Recommended Daily Intake
• Fiber – 2.9 g per serving
• Potassium – 387mg per serving

So now that you know how to grow a mamey tree, it's time to plant!

Happy Planting!