Botany
A very branched tree, growing to a height of 8 meters. Leaves are oblong to narrowly oblong-obovate, 8 to 13 cm in length, pointede at both ends. Flowers are hairy outside, 8 mm long and 6-parted. Fruit is brown, fleshy, ovoid to round, 3-8 cm long, containing 5 or more shiny brown-black seeds. Fleshy is brown, soft, slightly gritty, and sweet.

Distribution
Cultivated in most parts of the Philippines.

Parts utilized:
Bark, seeds, fruit.

Chemical constituents and properties
Leaves contain a bitter principle alkaloid and fixed oil.
Fruit also contains sapotin.
The seeds yield sapotin, saponin, achrassaponin, an alkaloid, fixed-oil 16-23%, the bitter principle sapotinine 0.08%.
The bark contains sapotin, saponin, and tannin.
Gum chicle contains 75% resin, gum (arabin) 10%, calcium oxalate, sugar, etc.
Seeds are aperient and diuretic.

Uses
Folkloric
· Decoction of the bark used for diarrhea and fever.
· Fruit soaked in melted butter overnight, is thought to be preventive for biliousness and fevers.
Others
· Bark is used for tanning sails and making fish tackle.
· Gum chicle, derived from the bark juice, is used in the manufacture of chewing gum. Gum chicle is also used for transmission belts, dental surgery, and a substitute for gutta-percha.
· The fruit is also a popularly used in the aging of the coconut liquer, lambanog.

Availability
Cultivated.