Mammee Apple, Mammey
Latin Name: Mammea americana
USDA Hardiness: 10-12
Native Range: SOUTHERN AMERICA: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad, United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, U.S., Virgin Islands, U.S., Virgin Islands, U.S., St. Vincent and Grenadines, Virgin Islands (British), Tortola,
Edibility Rating: 4 / 5
Medicinal Rating: 2 / 5
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Medicinal Uses
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Flowers Fruit Sap | Edible Uses: Drink Gum PectinFruit - raw or cooked. A firm, thick flesh with an aromatic flavour similar to apricots[200 ]. A delicious fruit, it is used as a dessert and can also be made into jams, sauces, pies, tarts etc[301 , 307 ]. The flesh immediately surrounding the 2 - 4 seeds in the fruit is bitter[307 ]. The fruit is rich in pectin and therefore makes good preserves, these taste remarkably like apricot preserves[200 , 301 ]. The immature green fruit is high in pectin and can be added to pectin-low fruits when making jellies, jams etc[301 ]. The light brown fruit is a globose to irregular berry, 10 - 20cm in diameter[418 ]. The fruits can be as large as a child's head and weigh up to 2 kilos[200 , 303 ]. A liqueur is distilled from the fragrant flowers[46 , 301 ]. An alcoholic drink is fermented from the sap of the tree[301 ].
Cultivation
Mammee apple is limited to tropical or near tropical moist to wet climates[303 ]. It grows best in the lowlands, but can succeed at elevations up to 1,000 metres[303 ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 30°c, but can tolerate 12 - 35°c[418 ]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -2°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,800mm, but tolerates 800 - 2,600mm[418 ]. Prefers a position in full sun or light shade[307 ]. Prefers a deep, rich, well-drained sandy loam[200 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 5.5 - 8[418 ]. Trees can produce their first crop in 6 - 10 years from seed[200 ]. Good trees can produce 300 - 400 fruits per year[418 ]. There are some named varieties[301 ]. One report says that the plant is dioecious[335 ], others that it is monoecious. In some forms of this plant, the flowers produced are predominantly female and the tree fruits heavily, in other forms there can be a predominance of male flowers and fruit yields are much lower[200 ]. Flowering Time: Late Spring/Early Summer. Bloom Color: White/Near White. Spacing: 20-30 ft. (6-9 m).
Known Hazards
The bitter tasting seeds in the fruit are poisonous to fish, chicks and some insects[200 ].(Seed is poisonous if ingested)
Habitats
Within its natural range, mammee is most frequently found in semi-cultivation or in areas that have been disturbed[303 ].