Familie: Ebenaceae
Latijnse naam: Diospyros dihyna
Common name: Black sapote / Chocolate-pudding-fruit
Origin: Central America

This rare fruit from Central America has dark brown juicy pulp with a delicious sweet, chocolate-like taste. Therefore the black sapote is also often called the chocolate-pudding-fruit. The fruits are 5 to 15 cm in size, and can be directly eaten from the plant or be mashed and used in icecream, milk, juice and desserts. The pulp is low in fat, and contains 4x as much vitamin C as an orange.

In nature the black sapote can grow up to a height of 25 meters, but can in temperate regions be kept as a much smaller tub plant. A sunny stand is important, and protect the plant against frost. In Mexico the fruits are cultivated at altitudes up to 2000 meters, and older plants can even withstand light frost. Overall a very interesting species!

Sowing description: Soak the seeds for 12 hours in lukewarm water, then sow the seeds 1-2 cm deep in sowing mix. Let the seeds germinate in a shadow-rich place at a temperature of 25-30 degC. Keep the soil constantly moist by covering it with plastic foil or glass. Germination after several weeks or even months. Germination can occur as long as the seeds are still hard.

Sowing time: Whole year
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum temperature: 0 degC