Spondias purpurea (Jocote)

The jocote (Spondias purpurea) is a flowering plant of the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical zone of America. The designation "jocote" is from the word xocotl ("fruit") from the Nahuatl.

The deciduous tree can grow up to 83 feet tall. It loses its leaves during the short dry season, shortly before developing new ones. The flowers are small, reddish-purple, aqnd occur in large panicles. The stone fruit, whose pulp is edible, is 1.2 to 2 inches long and 0.8 to 1.4 inches wide, and contains a single seed. The ripe fruit is red, sometimes yellow.

The cultivation of the tree is widespread in the tropical regions of the world, mainly because of the edible pulp (which is also eaten unripe with salt). The tree is common in Central America, the consumption of the fruit is known there for a laxative effect.

We have one specimen in our garden.

Fruits of the jocote in our garden in March 2009.

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Updated by Joachim Jaeck on March 10th, 2010