Pouteria multiflora
Family: Sapotaceae
Broadleaved Lucuma, Chocky Apple, Jacana
Origin: Antilles
big tree, full sun, semi-shade, regular water, edible.
Jácana, also known as bully tree, is a medium to evergreen tree,
endemic of the Antilles with a wide canopy of big, ova l
leaves. Its wood is hard, firm, strong and very heavy, so it is
widely used to build furniture and light posts. Rounded fruit, much
like the canistel but smaller, with sparse, sweetish pulp, are
yellow-orange with creamy taste, sometimes mushy, with a delightful
and delicate flavor, very sought-after for! It is believed that pre-Colombine
inhabitants introduced this tree to the Caribbean. In the wild, it
can be found in humid, high mountains. It thrives in the shade,
under canopies of other trees. Its roots are deep and long in mature
trees, making it fairly resistant to strong winds. If the Jacana
looses its upper branches, it will recover quickly. This makes it an
excellent tree if you live in a hurricane prone area. In more acid
soils, its roots tend to extend sideways. Usually, the Jacana is
free of deceases and insects. It prefers to have other Jacana trees
around: it doesn't like to be alone! Jacana starts to flower once
the canopy is well developed, which occurs when it reaches maturity.
If you have a lonely (just one) Jacana tree, it will only bear
fruits in February. But if you have many Jacana trees together, they
will bear fruits year round. Insects are their primary pollination
factor. The more humid their habitat, the more fruits they will
bear. A big tree will bear from 200 to 300 fruits a year. The seeds
loose their viability very soon if you keep them at room temperature
(they are good for less than one month after recollection) You can
plant the seeds directly to the ground or in liners. Provide
irrigation system and warm conditions if you plant cuttings. Plant
cuttings at a 45 degree angle, use a radical component, take the
leaves out of the cuttings, and 1/3 of these cuttings will be good
in 8 months. |
