The World of Apples

The apples that aren't

Mammee apple

Mammea americana, Calophyllaceae

The mammee is a tall tree, greatly resembling the southern magnolia, with a nearly round fruit 10 to 20 cm across3. Its skin is leathery, bitter and light or greyish brown; its flesh golden yellow to orange, and in the best kinds subacid, like apricot or red raspberry in flavour3. In English it is the mammee, the mammee apple or the St Domingo apricot, while the French and Portuguese names call it an apricot outright3.

It was recorded growing near Darién, in Panama, in 1514, and in 1529 Oviedo included it in his review of the fruits of the New World3. It is often confused with the sapote, Pouteria sapota, which is called mamey in Cuba3. Commonly grown in the Bahamas and the Antilles, it is planted more sparingly in Central and South America, and Old World introductions have been few3.

Where the sources disagree

  • Native range. Morton gives the West Indies and northern South America3; Kew, southern Mexico to Guatemala and the Caribbean2.

Sources

  1. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Mammea americana, Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Supports: the accepted name and family.
  2. Plants of the World Online: Mammea americana, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Supports: the accepted name and the native range, "S. Mexico to Guatemala, Caribbean".
  3. Mamey, in Fruits of Warm Climates, Julia F. Morton, Purdue University NewCROP, 1987. Supports: the tree and fruit; the English names mammee, mammee apple and St Domingo apricot; the French and Portuguese apricot names; its native range in the West Indies and northern South America; Darién in 1514 and Oviedo in 1529; the confusion with Pouteria sapota; where it is grown.