Overview

Bring the tropics to your home with the exquisite Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant. Also widely known as the Egg Fruit tree, and botanically referred to as Pouteria Campechiana tree, this starter plant offers an exciting opportunity to grow a unique and delicious fruit. Originating from Central America and Southern Mexico, the Canistel is celebrated for its distinctive, bright yellow-orange fruit with a texture often compared to a hard-boiled egg yolk, giving it the popular ‘egg fruit’ moniker. This evergreen tree is not only a source of interesting fruit but also an attractive addition to any garden or landscape, particularly in warmer regions. Our 7-12 inch starter plant is ready to be nurtured into a robust, fruit-bearing tree, providing both ornamental beauty and culinary delight for years to come. The fruit’s sweet, creamy pulp is perfect for fresh eating, desserts, and smoothies, making the Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant a truly rewarding choice for adventurous gardeners.

The Canistel tree is known by various names globally, including tiesa (Philippino), siguapa, zapotillo, zapote amarillo, and sapote mante (Spanish), and lamut kahamen, khe maa, to maa (Thai). This fascinating plant belongs to the Sapotaceae family, which also includes other well-known fruit trees like sapodilla and mamey sapote. With its upright growth habit, the Pouteria Campechiana tree can become a medium to large sized tree, offering ample shade and a bountiful harvest. Growing this exotic fruit tree from a starter plant allows you to witness its full life cycle and enjoy the satisfaction of harvesting your own tropical delicacies.

Key Benefits

The Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant offers a multitude of benefits, from its unique fruit to its aesthetic appeal and adaptability. Growing this tree provides a sustainable source of nutritious and delicious fruit, while also enhancing the biodiversity of your garden. Here are some of the key advantages of cultivating your own Pouteria Campechiana tree:

• Delicious, Unique Fruit: The primary draw of the Canistel is its distinctive fruit, often called ‘egg fruit’ due to its texture. The ripe fruit boasts a sweet, creamy, and slightly dry pulp that is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It’s excellent for eating fresh, making smoothies, custards, or even ‘vegan eggnog.’
• Ornamental Value: Beyond its fruit, the Canistel is an attractive evergreen tree with a dense canopy, making it a beautiful shade tree or an interesting specimen plant in a tropical landscape. Its bright green foliage provides year-round appeal.
• Adaptable & Resilient: Well-established Canistel trees are surprisingly tolerant of various soil types, including acid and alkaline soils, as long as they are well-drained. They also show good tolerance to dry soil conditions, making them a relatively low-maintenance option for suitable climates.
• Nutritional Powerhouse: The ‘egg fruit’ is not only tasty but also packed with nutrients. It’s a good source of beta-carotene (which gives it its vibrant yellow color), niacin, and vitamin C, contributing to a healthy diet.
• Exotic Garden Addition: For gardeners looking to expand their collection with something truly unique, the egg fruit starter plant is an excellent choice. It introduces an element of the tropics and an interesting conversation piece.
• Moderate Cold Tolerance: While tropical, mature Canistel trees exhibit moderate cold tolerance, surviving temperatures down to 23°F (-5°C) once established, though young plants require more protection.
• Organic Growth: This starter plant is grown organically, ensuring you receive a healthy, chemical-free specimen ready for your garden. You can enjoy naturally grown fruit from your own yellow sapote fruit tree.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant involves providing the right conditions to ensure healthy growth and fruit production. This tropical tree thrives in warm environments and requires specific attention, especially when young. For optimal growth, choose a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. While mature trees can reach significant heights (20-50+ ft), they typically maintain an upright growth habit. Young trees, like this Pouteria Campechiana tree starter, are more sensitive to cold and should be protected if temperatures drop below 40°F (5°C). Established trees can tolerate brief dips to 23°F (-5°C).

When it comes to watering, Canistel trees appreciate consistent moisture, especially during dry periods, but they are also quite tolerant of dry soil conditions once well-established. Ensure the soil is well-draining to prevent root rot. They are adaptable to most well-drained soil types, including both acid and alkaline soils. For fertilization, a balanced slow-release fertilizer can be applied during the growing season. Young plants will benefit from regular, light feeding to encourage vigorous growth. Protect young plants from strong winds, extreme heat, and direct intense sun initially after transplanting, allowing them to acclimate gradually to outdoor conditions. This careful attention will help your egg fruit starter plant flourish.

Pruning is generally minimal for Canistel trees, mainly focusing on removing dead or diseased branches and shaping the canopy. Fruit production typically occurs once the tree reaches a certain maturity, which can vary depending on growing conditions. Harvest the fruit when it turns yellow-orange and allows it to ripen at room temperature for 3 to 10 days until soft but not mushy. Remember that trees grown from seeds, like this Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant, may not be identical to the parent tree in terms of fruit characteristics, adding an element of unique discovery to your gardening experience. Proper care will lead to a productive and healthy yellow sapote fruit tree.

Size & Details

You are receiving one Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant, a Pouteria Campechiana tree starter, measuring approximately 7-12 inches tall. This measurement excludes the pot height, ensuring you receive a substantial plant ready for transplanting. The starter plant comes in a 3-inch square pot, providing a good root system for initial growth. Canistel trees are medium-sized evergreen trees in Florida, typically reaching 20 to 25 ft (6.1–7.6 m) in height, but with ideal conditions, they can grow to over 50+ ft (15 m) with an upright growth habit. The fruit ranges in size from 3 to 5 inches (8–13 cm) long and 2 to 3 inches (5–8 cm) in diameter, with a thin, waxy peel that ripens from green to bright yellow or orange. The pulp is firm, smooth, creamy, and sweet when fully ripe. Each fruit contains 1 to 5 glossy brown seeds. This egg fruit starter plant is organically grown and shipped as a healthy, young specimen.

The growth rate of the yellow sapote fruit tree can vary based on climate, soil fertility, and care. Trees growing in fertile soils tend to produce larger but fewer fruit, while those in infertile soils may yield many smaller fruits. This starter plant provides a foundation for growing your own tropical fruit tree, offering the potential for a significant harvest in the coming years. Remember that proper acclimation and care during its initial stages are crucial for its long-term success. This Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant is a fantastic way to introduce an exotic and productive tree to your garden.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big will this Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant get? A: This starter plant is 7-12 inches tall. A mature Pouteria Campechiana tree can reach 20-25 feet in Florida, and potentially over 50 feet in optimal conditions, with an upright growth habit.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant is primarily an outdoor plant for warm, tropical, or subtropical climates. It can be grown in a container and brought indoors during colder months in non-tropical regions, but it thrives best outdoors.
• Q: How much sunlight does the egg fruit starter plant need? A: This tree requires full sun, ideally 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily, to produce the best fruit and maintain healthy growth. Young plants should be acclimated gradually to intense direct sun.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Once established, Canistel trees are relatively low-maintenance, tolerant of various well-draining soils and dry conditions. Young plants require more attentive care, especially regarding temperature protection and consistent watering.
• Q: What condition will the yellow sapote fruit plant arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a healthy, organically grown starter plant, 7-12 inches tall, in a 3-inch square pot, ready for planting or potting up.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this Canistel tree? A: In warm climates, it can be planted year-round. In areas with cool seasons, it’s best to plant in spring or early summer after the last chance of frost, allowing the tree to establish before cooler temperatures.
• Q: What is the ideal temperature range for the Pouteria Campechiana tree? A: Canistel trees prefer temperatures above 40°F (5°C). Young trees are damaged below 29°F (-1.6°C), while mature trees can tolerate brief dips to 23°F (-5°C). Protection from cold is crucial.
• Q: Can I grow the Canistel Yellow Sapote live plant in a pot? A: Yes, especially in cooler climates, you can grow this tree in a large container and move it indoors during winter. This will help protect the egg fruit starter plant from cold damage.
• Q: How long does it take for the yellow sapote fruit to produce fruit? A: Trees grown from seed typically begin to bear fruit within 3-5 years, though this can vary based on growing conditions and care.
• Q: What kind of soil does this Canistel tree need? A: The Pouteria Campechiana tree is tolerant of most well-drained soil types, including acidic and alkaline soils. Good drainage is key to prevent root issues.