Pouteria caimito

The abiu, also known as Pouteria caimito, is a tropical fruit tree located in the Amazonian region of South America. It will grow an average of 33 feet high, and can grow as high as 116 feet under good conditions. Its fruit’s shape varies from round to oval with a point. When ripe, it has smooth bright yellow skin and will have one to four ovate seeds. The inside of the fruit is translucent and white. It has a creamy and jelly-like texture and its taste is sweet like caramel. The abiu is part of the Sapotaceae family.
The tree grows best in tropical areas and in places that have a warm moist climate all year long. Propagation is nearly always by seeds. The new seeds will germinate quickly if they are fresh. After the seeds are planted, the tree will bear fruit in three or more years. Grafting and air layering will also be used to reproduce the upper strains of the plant.

A tree that has just been planted will be fragile and needs protection from wind and cold weather. It only requires light pruning and should be fed frequently, but lightly.
The leaves of the tree range from oblong to elliptic. The can be anywhere from four to eight inches in length and one and a half to two and a half inches in width. The flowers on the tree can come either by themselves or in clusters of two to five flowers. The will come in on the leaf axils on long, thin shoots. The flowers are small and have either four or five petals. The petals are cylindrical and will be white to greenish in color. The flowers are hermaphroditic, which means they are both sexes. The flowers open in the morning and can stay open for about two days.
The tree contains a fruit that is often eaten out of the hand. Each tree can produce around one hundred to one thousand fruits each year. The fruit has a sweet taste and is often used in ice cream. The skin of the fruit is a yellow color and can have a leathery texture. It has a white translucent pulp.

The fruit is also known as the yellow star apple or the caimito amarillo. In Colombia it is known as the camio. In Ecuador it is known as the luma, which is Spanish, and in Venezuela it is known as the temare. Other common names are madura verde, avio, and in Portugal it is known as the abieiro.

Uses
The fruit of the abiu tree is edible and is eaten out of hand in most cases. In Colombia, it is advised that if you eat the fruit, you grease your lips before eating it in order to keep the gummy latex from sticking to their lips. The fruit of the abiu is also used in ice cream. It can be cut up and put in yogurt for a light and delicious breakfast. Another way to serve the abiu is to scoop out the flesh and sprinkle a little limejuice on it to bring out the flavor, and then chill it. There are not a lot of ways to serve the abiu because it has a very subtle flavor and will be overcome by any other fruit if it is added to a fruit salad.

The wood of the abiu tree is dense, heavy, and hard and it is used in construction. In Brazil, people will eat the pulp in order to relieve coughs, bronchitis, and other pulmonary complaints because the pulp has a mucilaginous nature. Medically, it is used for many things such as adstringent, anti-anemic, and anti-inflammatory. It can help to stop a fever, stop diarrhea, stop coughs, and it also contains many helpful nutrients.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiu
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