Diospyros digyna Jacq., Ebenaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment).

Common name(s): [more details]

English: black persimmon, black sapote, brown persimmon

Filipino: sapote negro

French: barbaquois

Spanish: sapote negro, zapote negro

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A medium sized or sometimes rather large tree, as much as 25 meters high with a trunk 45 cm. in diameter; leaves on short, stout petioles, subcoriaceous, lustrous, mostly oblong or elliptic-oblong, sometimes as much as 30 cm. long, persistent, somewhat narrowed to the obtuse or subacute apex, obtuse or acute at the base, glabrous; flowers polygamous, whitish, fragrant, in small, sessile or short-pedunculate few-flowered cymes, almost 1 cm. long, the corolla sericeous outside, urceolate, the lobes much shorter than the tube, rounded; fruiting calyx about 3.5 cm. broad, usually 4-lobate; fruit globose or depressed-globose, 4-7 cm. broad, olive-green or yellowish green, the flesh when fully ripe black; seeds about 1.5-2 cm. long, brown, somewhat compressed, smooth"  (Standley and Williams, 1967; 24(8/3)247-248).

Habitat/ecology:  In Guatemala (native), "dry or wet mixed forest usually at or little above sea level"  (Standley and Williams, 1967; 24(8/3)247-248).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Central America and Colombia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 83)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: BISH 48016) Taxon name on voucher: Diospyros digyna
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: PTBG 15236) Taxon name on voucher: Diospyros digyna
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: BISH 48013) Taxon name on voucher: Diospyros digyna
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1927) (voucher ID: BISH 48011) Taxon name on voucher: Diospyros digyna
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 48) Voucher cited: Huvelin in MacKee 45798

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced cultivated	Randall, R. P. (2007) (p. 163)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O. (1967) (pp. 247-248)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2010) Envahissant principalement dans les milieux perturbés.
French Territory of Mayotte Mayotte Islands	Mayotte Island	introduced cultivated	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2010) Cultivée

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Information from Morton, J. 1987. Black Sapote. p. 416-418. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.

Additional online information about Diospyros digyna is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Diospyros digyna as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Diospyros digyna may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 0. Voucher specimen #BISH48016(Yamayoshi, H. s.n.).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 0. Voucher specimen #BISH48013(Maehler, K.L. 4).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1927. Voucher specimen #BISH48011(Judd, C.S. 55).

Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France. 2010. Les espéces envahissantes en outre-mer (online resource).

Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. 2010. Checklist of the vascular plants of Pohnpei with local names and uses. Allertonia, in press. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 146 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 0. Voucher specimen #PTBG15236(Flynn, Tim 5502).

Randall, R. P. 2007. The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status. CRC for Australian Weed Management, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. 524 pp.
Also:  Searchable online database at http://weeds.cbit.uq.edu.au/.

Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O. 1967. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part VIII, No. 3. Chicago Natural History Museum. 50 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.