From the book
Fruits of Warm Climates
by Julia F. Morton
Chupa-Chupa
Quararibea cordata Vischer
Matisia cordata Humb. & Bonpl.
BOMBACACEAE
Little-known outside its natural range, this member of the
Bombacaceae has nomenclatural problems. Its current botanical
designation is Quararibea cordata Vischer (syn. Matisia cordata
Humb. & Bonpl.), though it still is being dealt with in Brazil and
Colombia under the latter binomial, and there are taxonomists who
prefer not to merge Matisia with Quararibea.
In addition, there is no generally accepted vernacular name. "Sapote"
and "zapote" predominate in native countries but these terms, derived
from the Nahuatl word for "soft, sweet", are applied to several other
fruits and to one in particular, the sapote, Pouteria sapota, q.v. To distinguish Quararibea cordata,
one writer proposed "South American sapote", and this has been
repeated, but it is cumbersome and strictly artificial, not a name in
use in any country of origin. Therefore, I have chosen chupa-chupa,
which is a valid colloquial name in Colombia and Peru, certainly
euphonius, and, as Dr. Victor Patino has stated, descriptive of the
manner in which the flesh is chewed from the large seeds. In Peru and
Colombia, the species may also be called zapote chupachupa, zapote
chupa, sapote de monte, or sapotillo. In Brazil, it is known as sapota,
sapote-do-peru, or sapota-do-solimóes, in reference to the Solimóes
River.
Description
The chupa-chupa
tree is fast-growing, erect, to 130 or even 145 ft (40-45 m) high in
the wild, though often no more than 40 ft (12 m) in cultivation. It is
sometimes buttressed; has stiff branches in tiered whorls of 5; and
copious gummy yellow latex. The semi-deciduous, alternate,
long-petioled leaves, clustered in rosettes near the ends of the
branches, are broadly heart-shaped, normally 6 to 12 in (15-30 cm) long
and nearly as wide. Short-stalked, yellowish-white or rose-tinted,
5-petalled flowers, about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, with 5 conspicuous,
protruding stamens and pistil, are borne in masses along the lesser
branches and on the trunk. The fruit is rounded, ovoid or elliptic with
a prominent, rounded knob at the apex and is capped with a 2- to
5-lobed, velvety, leathery, strongly persistent calyx at the base; 4 to
5 3/4 in (10-14.5 cm) long and to 3 3/16 in (8 cm) wide, and may weigh
as much as 28 oz (800 g). The rind is thick, leathery, greenish-brown,
and downy. The flesh, orange-yellow, soft, juicy, sweet and of
agreeable flavor surrounds 2 to 5 seeds, to 1 1/2 in (4 cm) long and 1
in (2.5 cm) wide, from which long fibers extend through the flesh.
Plate XXXIX: CHUPA-CHUPA, Quararibea cordata
Origin and
Distribution
The
tree grows wild in lowland rainforests of Peru, Ecuador and adjacent
areas of Brazil, especially around the mouth of the Javari River. It is
common in the western part of Amazonas, southwestern Venezuela, and in
the Cauca and Magdalena Valleys of Colombia. It flourishes and produces
especially well near the sea at Tumaco, Colombia. The fruits are
plentiful in the markets of Antioquia, Buenaventura and Bogotá,
Colombia; Puerto Viejo, Ecuador; the Brazilian towns of Tefé,
Esperanca, Sao Paulo de Olivenca, Tabetinga, Benjamin Constant and
Atalaia do Norte; and elsewhere.
There were only 3 trees in
gardens in Belém in 1979. The Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da
Amazonia had 150 fruits sent there for evaluation and 80 to 90% of the
samplers rated them as of excellent flavor and expressed interest in
obtaining trees. However, it is recognized that there is need for
horticultural improvement. In 1964, William Whitman obtained seeds from
Iquitos, Peru, raised seedlings; planted one on his own property at Bal
Harbour, Florida, and distributed the rest to private experimenters.
The first to fruit was that grown by B.C. Bowker, Miami, in 1973.
Whitman's tree and several others have also borne fruit.
Varieties
Some of the fruits
borne in Florida appear to be of better than average quality. In
northern Peru, there is reportedly a type with little fiber and
superior flavor.
Pollination
The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds, bees and wasps. In the afternoon some trees become self-compatible.
Climate
The chupa-chupa is a
tropical to subtropical species. In Ecuador, it ranges from sea-level
to 4,000 or even 6,500 ft (1,200-2,000 m). In Florida, young trees need
protection from winter cold. For best performance, the tree needs full
sun and plenty of moisture.
Soil
The tree attains
maximum dimensions in the low, wet, deep soils of South American
forests, yet it does well in cultivation on the slopes of the Andes and
seems to tolerate the dry, oolitic limestone of South Florida's coastal
ridge when enriched with topsoil and fertilizer.
Propagation
The tree is
commonly grown from seed but superior types should be vegetatively
propagated. Side-veneer grafting can be easily done. Budding is not
feasible.
Season and Harvesting
In
Brazil, the tree blooms from August to November and fruits mature from
February to May. Trees in Florida bloom in midwinter and ripen their
fruits in November. The fruit will stay on the tree until it rots. It
must be harvested with a knife or a long cutting-pole. Light color
around the edge of the calyx is a sign of ripeness.
Yield
Whitman's tree bore 58
fruits in 1976. A normal crop may be 3,000. One tree in Tefé, Brazil,
produced an estimated crop of 6,000 or more fruits in a season.
Pests and
Diseases
The
chupa-chupa is very prone to attack by fruit flies and in some
locations in South America is commonly infested with their larvae. In
Florida, the Keys whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus, and the Cuban May beetle, Phyllophaga bruneri, attack the foliage.
Food Uses
This is a fruit
that has always been eaten out-of-hand. Those that have the least
fibrous flesh may be utilized for juice or in other ways.
| Food
Value Per
100 g of Edible Portion* |
| Moisture
|
85.3 g |
| Protein |
0.129 g |
|
Fat |
0.10 g |
| Fiber |
0.5 g |
| Ash |
0.38 g |
| Calcium |
18.4 mg |
| Phosphorus |
28.5 mg |
| Iron |
0.44 mg |
| Carotene |
1.056 mg
|
| Thiamine |
0.031 mg |
| Riboflavin |
0.023 mg |
| Niacin |
0.33 mg |
| Ascorbic Acid | 9.7 mg |
| *According
to analyses made in Ecuador. |
|
|
|