Canistel (with comments on other Pouteria species)

Pouteria campechiana Baehni

poe-TEAR-ee-ah cam-pech-ee-AY-nah

Sapotaceae

Explanation of name:  Pouteria apparently comes from an indigenous name. The specific epithet refers to Campeche, Mexico.

Natural range:   Mesoamerica

Recognition:   Tree with milky sap and leaves clustered at branch tips.  Flowers off-white and silky.  Fruit shaped somewhat like an egg, yellow-orange

Pouteria caimito, Abiu, from the Amazon has a variably sized yellow fruit in the summer.

Pouteria hypoglauca, Cinnamon-Apple, from Mesoamerica produces greenish fruits in the summer.  It has a little freeze-tolerance

Pouteria sapota, treated separately in this book, is Mamey Sapote.

Landscape uses:   Tree with edible fruits.  Reportedly tolerates poor and alkaline soils. Propagated by seeds (briefly viable), by air layering, and by grafting.  Sudden cold causes fruitdrop.

Internet source: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/canistel.html#Description