Pouteria pallida

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Tree to 30m, with straight bole ; Lvs elliptic -obovate, blade 7-15cm x 2.5-10cm, rounded at apex, with 18-30 pairs red or purple laterals , blade pale below, almost glaucous. Ft to 6 x 2 cm smooth , 1-2 seeded.

Balata fruit is edible but not very popular. The timber is hard.

Endangered

Interesting Facts

Description

Family Sapotaceae

Trees or shrubs , usually producing latex. Leaves spirally arranged or alternate and distichous, rarely ± opposite, sometimes crowded at apex of branchlets ; stipules early deciduous or absent; leaf blade papery or leathery, margin entire. Flowers bisexual or unisexual , usually in sessile axillary clusters , rarely solitary; cluster pedunculate or in raceme-like inflorescence, bracteolate . Calyx a single whorl of usually 4--6 sepals, or 2 whorls each with 2--4 sepals. Corolla lobes as many to 2 X as many as sepals, usually entire, rarely with 2 lacerate or lobular appendages . Stamens inserted at corolla base or at throat of corolla tube , as many as and opposite corolla lobes to many and in 2 or 3 whorls; staminodes when present alternate with stamens, scaly to petal-like. Ovary superior, 4- or 5-locular, placentation axillary; ovules 1 per locule, anatropous . Style 1, often apically lobed . Fruit a berry or drupe, 1- to many-seeded. Seed coat brown (pale yellow in Pouteria annamensis), hard, shiny, rich in tannin; endosperm usually oily; seed scar lateral and linear to oblong or basal and round .

About 1100 species and 53 genera: pantropical ; 11 genera and 24 species (six endemic) in China.[1]

Genus Pouteria

Trees or shrubs . Branchlets glabrous or pubescent but glabrescent . Leaves usually alternate, not stipulate ; leaf blade papery to leathery, both surfaces usually pubescent when young but glabrescent when mature , sometimes abaxially glabrous and adaxially appressed pubescent, lateral veins conspicuous . Flowers in axillary clusters , sometimes with 2--4 bractlets . Sepals (4 or) 5(or 6), outside pubescent, inside glabrous or sericeous , early deciduous or persistent in fruit. Corolla tubular to campanulate , 4- or 5--8-lobed, appendages absent. Stamens (4 or) 5(--8), inserted in throat of corolla; staminodes less than 5 or 5--8, opposite sepals, lanceolate to subulate , sometimes scalelike to petal-like. Ovary conical , sometimes with cup-shaped disc at base , 5(or 6) -locular, ± villous . Fruit globose, glabrous or tomentose , sometimes setose ; pericarp thin to thick, sometimes very hard when dry. Seed coat shiny, scar oblong to broadly ovate , covering half to nearly whole surface of seed.

About 50 species: tropical areas, mostly in America; two species in China.[2]

Habitat

Biome: Terrestrial [3].

Ecology: The species is found in lowland rainforest up to 600 m. [3].

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Lucuma pallida C. F. Gaertn. • Neoxythece pallida (C. F. Gaertn.) Aubrév. • Oxythece fabrilis Pierre • Oxythece hahnianum Pierre Ex Duss • Oxythece pallida (C. F. Gaertn.) Cronquist • Planchonella pallida (C. F. Gaertn.) Baehni • Pouteria fabrilis (Pierre) Stehlé • Pouteria hahniana (Pierre Ex Duss) Stehlé

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 11-Nov-2003

Similar Species

Members of the genus Pouteria

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 17 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

P. caimito (Abiu) · P. campechiana (Canistel) · P. dictyoneura (Cocuyo) · P. dictyoneura dictyoneura (Cocuyo) · P. dictyoneura fuertesii (Cocuyo) · P. dominigensis (Jacana) · P. dominigensis dominigensis (Jacana) · P. hotteana (Redmammee) · P. lucuma (Lucmo) · P. macrocarpa (Cutite Grande) · P. multiflora (Bullytree) · P. sapota (Mamey) · P. semecarpifolia (Contrevent) · P. valparadisaea (Lucumo) · P. villamilii (White Nato) · P. viride (Green Sapote) · P. viridis (Green Sapote)

More Info

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Further Reading

• Oldfield, S., Lusty, C. and MacKinven, A. (compilers). 1998. The World List of Threatened Trees. World Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK.
• Pennington, T.D. 1990. Flora Neotropica: Sapotaceae Monograph 52. The New York Botanical Garden, New York.
• Li Shu-gang (as Lee Shu-kang). 1987. Sapotaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 60(1): 47-83.
• Li Shu-gang (as Lee Shu-kang). 1987. Sapotaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 60(1): 47-83.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 30, 2012.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Pouteria pallida. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 04February2012.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3424011
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-164324
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:789104-1
• IUCN ID: 235341
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1024677

Footnotes

1. Shugang Li & T. D. Pennington "Sapotaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 15 Page 205. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Shugang Li & T. D. Pennington "Pouteria". in Flora of China Vol. 15 Page 210. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
3. World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Pouteria pallida. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 February 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.