Undesirable

The fruits littering my yard you see here is not from my tree. This "Lucuma" tree belongs to my next door neighbor. Every year, at this time, these fruits fall to my side and go to waste. No one, but no one, myself, cats, birds, squirrels, possums, raccoons, ants, insects... eat these fruits. They just slowly decompose and vanish into thin air. The tree producing these fruits is a Pouteria campechiana of the Sapotaceae family. It is also known as Lucuma campechiana or Lucuma nervosa. I remember this fruit from my childhood, and it was known as the "Likima" fruit.

Pouteria campechiana is an erect tree growing quite large. The flowers are bisexual, cream colored with silky hair and fragrant. This tree's canistel fruit is green when unripe and turns golden yellow as it ripens. The flesh is yellow with a pasty texture similar to the texture of a hard-boiled egg and is known as the egg fruit. I think I tasted this fruit once and never again will try. I vaguely remember it tasted like paste, indescribable and quite yucky. I understand why no one I know wants to eat them.