Description
Ziricote is a flowering, fruiting and timber tree native to tropical America, its natural range extending from southern Mexico, through Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, to Cuba in the Caribbean.
It grows slowly, on favourable sites to heights of up to 30 m (98 ft), though it is typically 15 to 20 m (50 to 65 ft) tall with a straight trunk supporting a densely leafy, rounded or pyramidal crown. The bark is dark grey, smooth on young trees, on older trees furrowed and flaking.
Leaves are oval, up to 15 cm (6 in) long, dark dull green and rough, with a sandpaper feel. They fall off the tree in the dry season to conserve water, which coincides with winter in its native range.
Large, bright orange flowers soon follow, contrasting strongly with the bare branches. Then when the rainy season arrives, the new leaves emerge to fill the branches again.
Fertilised flowers develop into round or pear-shaped fruit about the size of a guava. Green when young, they become yellow to orange-yellow when ripe, about three to four months after fruit-set. The ripe pulp is soft and surrounds two relatively large seed.
Use
The soft, ripe fruit are edible and are made into desserts or are processed into fruit preserves, particularly in the Yucatan, in Mexico. Fragrant and with a bitter-sweet taste, they are preserved whole in sugar syrup. Still, they must be processed quickly within a few days of harvest due to their high perishability. Overripe or fallen fruit are fed to livestock. Established trees produce on average about 35 kg (77 lbs) of fruit per year.
The wood is heavy, averaging around 850 kilograms per cubic meter (53 lbs per cubic ft). It is naturally very resistant to decay and rot, making it a durable hardwood. The light brown sapwood can be easily distinguished from the decorative heartwood, which is dark red-brown with black streaking. It is used to make high-end furniture, decorative veneer, musical instruments (especially guitars), turned articles and other woodcraft, including carved wooden pieces.
The flowers produce good amounts of nectar, but there is not much information on the value of the tree to bee forage or honey production.
The sand-paper-like leaves are reportedly used as a natural exfoliant on the soles of the feet to smooth rough, dry skin. They are also used to scrub dirty cooking pots, pans and cutlery. Their rough texture also discourages roaming livestock from browsing on them.
Climate
Grows naturally and produces valuable timber in seasonally dry tropical climates, generally areas with annual lows of 19 to 25°C, annual highs of 27 to 35°C, annual rainfall from 900 to 2000 mm and a dry season of 3 to 6 months.
Growing
New plants are usually started from seed, which remain viable for up to twelve months. Ziricote trees perform best on free-draining loam soils with a high limestone content, generally with a pH in the range of 7.0 to 8.5 (or neutral to alkaline in nature), and on sites with full to partial sun exposure.
Problem features
There does not appear to be any records of its escape from cultivation or of it naturalising anywhere in the world.
Where it grows
References
Books
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Barwick, M., et al. 2004, Tropical & subtropical trees : a worldwide encyclopaedic guide, Thames and Hudson, London
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Echenique-Manrique, R. & Plumptre, R. A. 1990, A guide to the use of Mexican and Belizean timbers, Oxford Forestry Institute, Deptment of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxfordshire
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Janick, J., & Paull, R. E. 2008, The encyclopedia of fruit & nuts, CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxfordshire
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Martin, F. M., et al. 1987, Perennial edible fruits of the tropics : an inventory, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, D.C.
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Porter, T. 2012, Wood : identification & use, Compact edition, Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, Lewes, East Sussex
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Randall, R. P. 2007, The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status, Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management, Glen Osmond, South Australia
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Vozzo, J. A 2002, Tropical tree seed manual, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Washington D.C.