From the Archives
of the Rare Fruit Council of Australia
by W.
F. Whitman, Rare Fruit Council International Miami RFCI
The Abiu
Scientific
name: Pouteria
caimito
Family:
Sapotaceae
In the 1950s the Sub Tropical Experiment Station, currently renamed
the 'Agricultural Research and Education Center' distributed plants of
the abiu (Pouteria
caimito).
These seedlings were grown and fruited by Seymour Younghans, the writer
and the Experiment Station. Unfortunately the fruit was small with most
of the pulp area occupied by seeds; however, the flavor was good.
In
1969 the writer visited Iquitos, Peru where he encountered superior
strains of excellent quality 4 inch diameter fruit with only three
seeds. Subsequent plant collecting trips to this area by other R.F.C.
members has uncovered even larger fruit of similar quality with
diameters of 5 inches. These Amazon abiu varieties are presently being
grown by a number of R.F.C. members, the writers tree being the first
to fruit.
The abiu can be propagated from seed. graft or
marcot. The young plant should be protected in windy locations and
unsuitable soils, such as marl or high pH beach-type sands avoided.
Flowering may take place over a span of several years or more prior to
when the first fruit set occurs, which ripens from July thru October in
Florida. Its flavor somewhat resembles the star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito).
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