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Family:
Sapotaceae
Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Asterids > Order: Ericales
About 53 genera and 1100 species with a pantropical
distribution. Nine genera and 22 species are native to southern Africa and a
further one genus and 13 species are cultivated in the region.
Genera native to southern Africa
List from Bredenkamp (2000).
Chrysophyllum About 80
species, native mainly to the Neotropics but also to Africa, Madagascar,
Asia and Australia. There are two species native to southern Africa. and an additional two
species are cultivated in the region. |
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Englerophytum About 5-10 species, native to tropical Africa, with
two species native to
southern Africa. |
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Inhambanella Two species,
one in West Africa, and the other, Inhambanella henriquesii (Milk
pear) (see
Flora of Zimbabwe), is native to East and southern Africa. |
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Manilkara About 70
species, distributed in the tropics, with four species native to southern
Africa and a further species that is cultivated in the region. |
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Mimusops
About 40 species, native to Africa, Madagascar, Mascarenes, Seychelles, Asia
and the Pacific. Four species are native to southern Africa and a further
four species are cultivated in the region. |
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Pouteria
About 50 species, native to tropical regions. One species is native to
southern Africa and four species are cultivated in
the region. |
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Sideroxylon About 75
species, widely distributed but with most species (49) in the Neotropics.
The only species native to southern Africa is Sideroxylon inerme
(White
Milkwood) (see
Flora of Zimbabwe). In addition, Sideroxylon foetidissimum
(Acoma, Mast wood, Tortuga amarillo) (native from Florida to Belize) is
cultivated in the region. |
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Synsepalum Twenty species
worldwide (tropical Africa), of which four species are native to southern
Africa. |
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Vitellariopsis Six
species, native to East and southern Africa with three species in southern
Africa. |
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Other genera, cultivated in
southern Africa
List from Glen (2002). The species name is provided in
genera that have only one species represented in southern Africa.
Argania spinosa (Argan tree)
Native to Morocco and Algeria. Bears hard, green olive-like fruit within
which is a single seed. Argan oil is cold-pressed from the seeds and is used
in a similar way to olive oil (e.g. cooking, frying, in salads). Argan oil
is also used as a carrier oil to dilute essential oils used in aromotherapy,
and is also used in cosmetics (van Wyk 2005). |
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Publications
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Bredenkamp, C.L. 2000. Sapotaceae. In: Seed Plants of
Southern Africa (ed. O.A. Leistner). Strelitzia 10: 506-508.
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
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Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of
Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.
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van Wyk, B.-E. 2005. Food Plants of the World -
Identification, Culinary Uses and Nutritional Value. Briza, Pretoria.
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