Chrysophyllum

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Starr 070111-3283 Chrysophyllum oliviforme.jpg

|image_caption = Chrysophyllum oliviforme

|taxon = Chrysophyllum

|authority = L.

|synonyms =

  • Cainito Plum. ex Adans., nom. superfl.
  • Chlorophyllum Liais, orth. var.
  • Cynodendron Baehni
  • Dactimala Raf.
  • Gambeyobotrys Aubrév.
  • Guersentia Raf.
  • Nycterisition Ruiz & Pav.
  • Villocuspis (A.DC.) Aubrév. & Pellegr.

|synonyms_ref =

}}

Chrysophyllum is a group of trees in the Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358211#page/204/mode/1up Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 192] in Latin[http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40008631 Tropicos, Chrysophyllum L.]

The genus is native to the tropical Americas, from Mexico to northern Argentina, including the Caribbean. One species, C. oliviforme, extends north to southern Florida.[http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000008232 Chrysophyllum L.] World Flora Online. Accessed 3 December 2022.{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:325770-2 |title=Chrysophyllum L. |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |year=2025 |access-date=6 April 2025}}

Description

Chrysophyllum members are usually tropical trees, often growing rapidly to 10–20 m or more in height. The leaves are oval, 3–15 cm long, green above, densely golden pubescent below, from which the genus is named.The generic name is derived from the Greek words χρυσός (chrysos), meaning "gold," and φυλλον (phyllos), meaning "leaf." See {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=esMPU5DHEGgC |first=Umberto |last=Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names |volume=I A-C |year=2000 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-2675-2 |page=534}} The flowers are small (3–8 mm), purplish white and have a sweet fragrant smell; they are clustered several together, and are hermaphroditic (self fertile). The fruit is edible; round, usually purple skinned (sometimes greenish-white), often green around the calyx, with a star pattern in the pulp; the flattened seeds are light brown and hard. The fruit skin is chewy like gum, and contrary to some reports, is edible. {{citation needed|date=February 2014}}[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=107005 Flora of North America Vol. 8 Page 245 Cainito Chrysophyllum Linnaeus][http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=107005 Flora of China, Vol. 15 Page 208 金叶树属 jin ye shu shu Chrysophyllum Linnaeus]

In 1990 and 1991 T.D. Pennington adopted a wide circumscription of Chrysophyllum, giving it a Pantropical distribution. Later morphological and phylogenetic studies confirmed that the genus defined by Pennington was polyphyletic, and in 2017 De Faria et. al. proposed that Chrysophyllum be more narrowly circumscribed, and some species placed in the revived genera Achrouteria, Cornuella, Martiusella, Nemaluma, Prieurella, and Ragala.Aparecida Donisete De Faria, José Rubens Pirani, José Eduardo Lahoz Da Silva Ribeiro, Stephan Nylinder, Mário Henrique Terra-Araujo, Pedro Paulo Vieira, Ulf Swenson, Towards a natural classification of Sapotaceae subfamily Chrysophylloideae in the Neotropics, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 185, Issue 1, September 2017, Pages 27–55,

Species

{{As of|2025|4}}, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 37 species:

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Formerly included

References