Common Name: Matasano

General Information

Matasano is an evergreen tree with a rounded crown and thick, pale branches[]. It usually grows up to 9 metres tall[].
Gathered from the wild for its edible fruit, the tree is also occasionally cultivated for this fruit[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Central America, north to Mexico.

Habitat

Moist or rather dry, wooded ravines and hillsides, at elevations of 1,300 - 2,300 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers an open, well-drained site on a loamy soil[]. Established plants are drought resistant, though they need adequate moisture if they are to fruit well[].
Trees can commence flowering and fruiting when 6 - 8 years old from seed[]. Grafted trees can commence fruiting in 3 - 4 years[].
The tree can flower and produce fruit on a number of occasions each year[].
Mature trees can produce more than 100 kilos of fruit each year[].
There is at least one named variety[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - eaten out of hand, chilled and served in a fruit salad, baked, dried for later use[]. The ripe fruits have a firm, golden-yellow pulp with a sweet, spicy flavour[]. When dried, the fruit retains its colour and flavour very well, and has a nice chewy texture[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in containers. Trees produce taproots, so the seed should be sown in deep containers and the plants moved straight to their permanent positions once they are large enough[]. Seed of cultivars does not breed true[].
Layering[]. Commercial growers in New Zealand have had success with air-layers[].
Cuttings are very difficult to root[].
Grafting.

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