Sapotaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Pouteria altissima

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitTree

Growth—

In natural forest in Gabon the trees showed a mean annual bole diameter increment of 3.3mm. In the Central African Republic the annual bole diameter increment was 3.2mm in a non-perturbed forest, 4mm after exploitation of the forest and 6mm after exploitation and chemical thinning^[1]. Most trees with boles over 50 cm in diameter are capable of producing fruits^[1]. Seedlings are classified as non-pioneer light demanders. Although they may be abundant around parent trees, further development depends on the presence of gaps in the forest canopy. However, research in Uganda showed that large-scale logging operations in the forest negatively influence regeneration^[1]. Tests on regeneration in Kenya showed that artificial regeneration of this species in buffer plantations around the natural timber production forest may be needed to maintain it in sufficient numbers after logging^[1]. In cultivation, the tree can be managed by coppicing or pollarding^[1].

Propagation

Seed - it loses viability very quickly and should be sown directly after collection^[1]. Seeds can be sown in light shade, but seedlings will soon need higher light intensities if they are to thrive^[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Pouteria+altissima>

Pollinators

Bees

References

[1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
[2]Flora Zambesiaca — http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html ↩︎An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
[3]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.