Sapotaceae

The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order Ericales. The family includes approximately 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in about 65 genera. Their distribution is pantropical.
Many species produce edible fruits, or white blood-sap that is used to cleanse dirt, organically and manually, while others have other economic uses. Species noted for their edible fruits include Manilkara, Chrysophyllum cainito, Gambeya africana and Gambeya albida, and Pouteria. Vitellaria paradoxa is also the source of an oil-rich nut, the source of edible shea butter, which is the major lipid source for many African ethnic groups and is also used in traditional and Western cosmetics and medications. The "miracle fruit" Synsepalum dulcificum is also placed in the Sapotaceae.
Trees of the genus Palaquium produce an important latex with a wide variety of uses. The seeds of the tree Sideroxylon spinosum produce an edible oil, traditionally harvested in Morocco.
The family name is derived from zapote, a Mexican vernacular name for one of the plants and Latinised by Linnaeus as sapota, a name now treated as a synonym of Manilkara.

Genera

74 genera are currently accepted:

Abebaia
Achrouteria
Amorphospermum
Aningeria
Aubregrinia
Aulandra
Autranella
Baillonella
Bemangidia
Breviea
Burckella
Capurodendron
Chloroluma
Chromolucuma
Chrysophyllum
Cornuella
Delpydora
Diploknema
Diploon
Donella
Eberhardtia
Ecclinusa
Elaeoluma
Englerella
Englerophytum
Gambeya
Gayella
Gluema
Inhambanella
Isonandra
Labatia
Labourdonnaisia
Labramia
Lecomtedoxa
Letestua
Lucuma
Madhuca
Magodendron
Malacantha
Manilkara
Martiusella
Micropholis
Mimusops
Nemaluma
Neohemsleya
Neolemonniera
Niemeyera
Northia
Omphalocarpum
Palaquium
Payena
Peteniodendron
Pichonia
Planchonella Pierre
Pleioluma
Pouteria
Pradosia
Prieurella
Pycnandra
Ragala
Sahulia
Sarcaulus
Sarcosperma
Sersalisia R.Br.
Sideroxylon
Spiniluma
Synsepalum
Tieghemella
Tridesmostemon
Tsebona
Van-royena Aubrév.
Vitellaria
Vitellariopsis
''Xantolis''