April 2017:
My Chiku plant in a pot. Seems to be doing ok and has finally produced another fruit – only 1 fruit :(. Its growing ever so slowly – 2 months already.
October 2016
Transplanted the chiku plant into a pot in February – and it produced 1 sweet, delicious, tiny fruit!
A chiku fruit growing
October 2015
The chiku fruit finally ripened. A very long ripening period…..about 6 months.
The chiku was so sweet! Hoping that the little tree will fruit again.
Some facts about the chiku, scientifically know as the sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota).
(From http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/sapodilla-trees): “This evergreen fruit bearer hails from the family of Sapotaceae in the genus of Manilkara with a calorie rich, easy-to-digest fruit. The sapodilla fruit is sand colored with a skin similar to a kiwi but without the fuzz. The interior pulp is of young sapodilla fruit is white with a heavy concentration of sticky latex, called saponin. The saponin abates as the fruit ripens and the flesh subsequently turns brown. The inside of the fruit contains 3-10 inedible seeds at the center.
A good reason to grow a sapodilla tree is its excellent source of nutrition within the fruit, which is composed of fructose and sucrose and is rich in calories. The fruit also contains vitamins such as vitamin C and A, folate, niacin and pantothenic acid and minerals like potassium, copper, and iron. It is rich in antioxidant tannins too and purported to be useful as an anti-inflammatory and a virus, “bad” bacteria and parasite fighter. Sapodilla fruit has also been used as an anti-diarrheal, hemostatic, and hemorrhoid aid.”
(From http://www.dawn.com/nes/201706/potential-of-chiku-cultivation): “The fruit has medicinal value as young fruit is boiled and its decoction is used in diarrhoea; an infusion of young fruits and flower relieves pulmonary complaints; decoction of old, yellowed leaves is good for cough, cold and diarrhoea; tea made from bark is also helpful in diarrhoea and dysentery.
Fluid extract of crushed seeds and leaves lowers blood pressure; paste of seeds is applied on stings and bites. The latex is used in filling tooth cavities. A major product of tree is the gummy latex called “chicle”, containing 15 per cent rubber and 38 per cent resin.”
Patch of Mine 