Rutaceae
How to identify a white sapote tree
Casimiroa edulis · also called zapote blanco (Spanish)
A thin-skinned green-to-yellow fruit with custardy, pear-like flesh. A citrus-family member despite bearing little resemblance to citrus; some cultivars are reputed in folk use to have mildly sedative seed and leaf compounds.
Field marks
These features are typical of the genus Casimiroa, so they help confirm you are looking at the right group; the fruit and the details below separate the species.
- Leaves are palmately compound, usually with three to five leaflets radiating from one point, which is unusual among fruit trees.
- Fruit is round, green to yellow, with creamy white flesh.
Check a photo
Photograph one whole, mature leaf from above, or a flower or fruit, and the identifier will return ranked matches. If white sapote is the top result, the field marks above are your second opinion.
Leaves, flowers, fruit, or bark — closer and sharper identifies better. Your photo is identified and discarded, never stored.
Where and when you will find it
- Origin / cultivation history
- Mexico / Central America highlands
- USDA zones
- 9-11
- Climate
- Subtropical — one of the more cold-tolerant fruits on this list, grown successfully in coastal California with light frost tolerance once established.
- Fruiting season
- November, December, January and February (typical, Northern Hemisphere)
- How often grown
- Uncommon in cultivation
Fruit is the most reliable way to confirm an identification, so November, December, January and February is the easiest window. Outside it, rely on the leaves and the overall habit. A tree growing well outside the climate above is more likely to be a look-alike.
Growing it: seedling or grafted?
A young tree with no fruit is harder to identify and easy to mislabel, so it helps to know how long it takes to reach fruiting age and how it is usually propagated.
- Years to first fruit
- Seedling 4-8 yrs; grafted 2-4 yrs
- Propagation
- Grafting, seed.
Relatives in the Rutaceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
Map your white sapote trees
CanopyTwin keeps every tree on a map with its species, cultivar, photos and history, and counts flowers and fruit from survey photos. It is built for orchards, nurseries and collectors of tropical and rare fruit.
More identification guides: free plant identifier · tropical fruit tree identifier · fruit tree identifier · all species guides