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Purple Mombin (Spondias purpurea)

Description

Jocote is a small to medium-sized tree up to 7 m (23 ft) tall[citation needed]. The leaves are deciduous in the short dry season, and only fall shortly before the new leaves develop; they are pinnate, with 7-23 leaflets, each leaflet 3-5 cm long and 1.5-2 cm broad[citation needed]. The flowers are small, reddish-purple, produced in large panicles[citation needed]. The fruit is an edible oval drupe, 3-5 cm long and 2-3.5 cm broad, ripening red (occasionally yellow) and containing a single large seed[citation needed]. The sap and fruit contain urushiol, an oil that causes an allergic rash upon contact with skin. It is now widely cultivated in tropical regions throughout the world for its edible fruit, and is also naturalised in some areas, including the Philippines and Nigeria[citation needed]. Numerous cultivars have been selected for fruit quality[citation needed]. It is also abundant in Jamaica and Central America[citation needed]. In Florida growth is relegated to near-tropical areas of the state, and the tree is killed or greatly harmed by cold winter temperatures from Palm Beach County northward. In Ecuador it is propagated by planting trunks. Seedlings are green when not ripe but enjoyed by locals by adding sea salt.The ripe fruit is red and is very sweet to the taste.

Taxonomic tree

  • Domain: Eukarya

    • Kingdom: Plantae

      • Phylum: Magnoliophyta

        • Class: Magnoliopsida

          • Order: Sapindales

            • Family: Anacardiaceae

              • Genus: Spondias