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Black sapote

Diospyros nigra

A persimmon relative with green, tomato-shaped fruit whose flesh turns soft and nearly black when ripe. It's called the chocolate pudding fruit for its look and texture more than its taste.

Tree facts

Scientific name
Diospyros nigra
Origin
Mexico and Central America
Tree size
25–50 ft if left alone; can be kept at 15–20 ft
Growth rate
Slow to medium
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Adaptable: sand, limestone or loam that drains well
Soil pH
6.0–7.5
Pollination
Most grafted trees fruit alone; some produce seedless fruit
Cold hardiness
Young trees are damaged near 32°F; mature trees take brief dips to about 28°F
USDA zones
10–11 (9b with protection)
Years to first fruit
3–4 for a grafted tree
Season
Dec–Mar
Water
About every 10 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 90 days, Mar–Sep
Pruning
Mar–Apr
Taste
Mild, lightly sweet and pudding-smooth; it takes on flavors well
Nutrition
High in vitamin C, with fiber and potassium

Is black sapote safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Fully ripe flesh, raw or blended

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Take care: Don't eat unripe fruit. It's bitter, very astringent and irritating; in parts of its native range it was used as a fish poison.
  • Good to know: The flat seeds aren't eaten.

Pets: A little fully ripe, seeded flesh is unlikely to harm a dog. Keep seeds and unripe fruit away from pets.

How to eat and enjoy black sapote

  • Blended with milk, cinnamon or vanilla into a chocolate-like pudding
  • Mixed with orange juice or brandy (Mexico)
  • In brownies, quick breads and smoothies
  • Mousse and ice cream

When it's ripe

Pick full-sized fruit when the bright green skin dulls to olive green and the green cap lifts slightly. It ripens on the counter in 3–10 days and is ready only when very soft, like an overripe tomato, with dark brown flesh.

Storing it

Refrigerate ripe fruit for a day or two. The pulp freezes very well.

Black sapote varieties (4)

  • Bernecker · also Bernicker

    A Florida black sapote with medium-large fruit and good flavor.

    Origin: Florida · Taste: Mild, sweet

  • Maher

    A Florida black sapote with large fruit.

    Origin: Florida · Taste: Mild, sweet · Size: Large

  • Merida

    A black sapote that ripens early in the season.

    Origin: Mexico (Yucatán) · Taste: Mild, sweet

  • Mossman

    An Australian selection with sweet fruit and a long season.

    Origin: Australia · Taste: Sweet

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing black sapotes? Let Gardyn keep track.

Gardyn tells you when your black sapote needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.