Mammee apple | |
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Full and longitudinally-cut mammee apples | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Calophyllaceae |
Genus: | Mammea |
Species: | M. americana |
Binomial name | |
Mammea americana L. |
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
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Energy | 213 kJ (51 kcal) |
12.5 g
|
|
Dietary fiber | 3 g |
0.5 g
|
|
0.5 g
|
|
Vitamins | |
Vitamin A equiv. |
(2%)
12 μg |
Thiamine (B1) |
(2%)
0.02 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) |
(3%)
0.04 mg |
Niacin (B3) |
(3%)
0.4 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(2%)
0.103 mg |
Vitamin B6 |
(8%)
0.1 mg |
Folate (B9) |
(4%)
14 μg |
Vitamin C |
(17%)
14 mg |
Minerals | |
Calcium |
(1%)
11 mg |
Iron |
(5%)
0.7 mg |
Magnesium |
(5%)
16 mg |
Phosphorus |
(2%)
11 mg |
Potassium |
(1%)
47 mg |
Sodium |
(1%)
15 mg |
Zinc |
(1%)
0.1 mg |
|
|
|
|
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
Mammea americana, commonly known as mammee, mammee apple, mamey, mamey apple, Santo Domingo apricot, tropical apricot, or South American apricot, is an evergreen tree of the family Calophyllaceae, whose fruit is edible. It has also been classified as belonging to the family Guttiferae Juss. (1789), which would make it a relative of the mangosteen
In certain Latin American countries Mammea americana is referred to as "yellow mamey" (Spanish: Mamey amarillo) in order to distinguish it from the unrelated but similar looking Pouteria sapota, whose fruit is usually called "red mamey" (Spanish: Mamey colorado or Mamey rojo).
The mammee tree is 18 m (59 ft) – 21 m (69 ft) high and is similar in appearance to the southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). Its trunk is short and reaches 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) - 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) in diameter. The tree's upright branches form an oval head. Its dark-green foliage is quite dense, with opposite, leathery, elliptic leaves. The leaves can reach 10 cm (3.9 in) wide and twice as long.
The mammee flower is fragrant, has 4 or 6 white petals, and reaches 2.5 cm (0.98 in) – 4 cm (1.6 in) wide when fully blossomed. The flowers are borne either singly or in clusters of two or three, on short stalks. There can be, in a single flower, pistils, stamens or both, so there can be male, female or hermaphrodite flowers on one tree or.
The mammee apple is a berry, though it is often misinterpreted to be a drupe. It is round or slightly irregular, with a brown or grey-brown 3 mm (0.12 in) thick rind. In fact, the rind consists of the exocarp and mesocarp of the fruit, while the pulp is formed from the endocarp. The stem is thick and short. The mammee apple has more or less visible floral remnant at the apex.