Reseña Histórica, Cultivares y Propagación del Sapote Prieto (Diospyros digyna Jacq.) en el Sur de la Florida.

The black sapote, commonly called "chocolate pudding fruit", is the family Ebenaceae. This fruit tree, native to Mexico, grows best in coastal areas from Jalisco to Chiapas,Veracruz and Yucatan. Black sapote has been cultivated in South Florida in home gardens and patios, in fruit collections, and to a small extent in commercial orchards. The tree is appreciated as an ornamental and also produces a large quantity of fruit. The tree is usually dioecious, with small axillary flowers with have a persistent calyx. Propagation is by seed or by grafting. Grafting is the recommended way to guarantee the sex of the plants and the quality of their fruit. The methods evaluated here are cleft grafting and veneer grafting, using scions 6 months of age. Most of the trees grown in South Florida have been propagated by seed, but some superior selections have been grafted and sold by nurserymen. A selection named 'Merida' was made at the University of Florida Tropical Research and Education Center (Homestead, Florida) and propagated by grafting. The information in this paper increases our knowledge and the economic viabilily of the black sapote in Tropical America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]