Sapotaceae
Lucuma

Lucuma campechiana Kunth

First published in F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 3: 240 (1819)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Central America. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as a medicine, has environmental uses and for food.

Descriptions

Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
[UPFC]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/146704277/146779773

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
EGG FRUIT
Morphology General Habit
Tree to 15 m tall or more (often smaller), nearly glabrous except for minute reddish hairs on the growing tips; leaves oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, mostly 5–18 cm long, acuminate at apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary or several together on pedicels averaging 10 mm long; sepals 4–6, minutely pubescent outside, the margins ciliolate; corolla greenish-cream, 7–12 mm long, with 4–7 lobes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens attached near level of sinuses, the filaments 1.3–2 mm long; staminodes linear or lanceolate, 2.4–2.9 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
ovary 4–10-celled
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit more or less pear-shaped, 4–7 cm long, with pointed apex and yellow edible flesh; seeds 4–7 (rarely less), 2–4 cm long, lustrous brown with elongate lateral scar.
Distribution
Grand Cayman. C. America; occurs as an escape from cultivation on the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Cuba.
Note
There is a tradition on Grand Cayman that this tree was introduced from C. America and cultivated for its edible fruits. However, it now occurs as a component of some of the natural coastal woodlands, and in such areas cannot be distinguished from the indigenous flora.
Ecology
Natural coastal woodlands
[Cayman]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Canistel Egg Fruit

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0