Something strange happened in my garden this year. After so much input and patience and care, a tree I thought I knew turned out to be someone else.

I should start by saying that I’m growing fruit trees in a haphazard fashion, and lovingly calling it biomimicry. Like so many trees in a mixed forest system, losing track is common and part of the fun.

I’d been watching my seedling Pouteria trees flower for the last 3 years, presumably testing atmospheric conditions before setting fruits. In late spring 2025, I was stoked to discover that baby fruits were on the way! But some of my “canistel” trees bore fruits that were oddly flat, nearly hamburger-shaped. 

As the fruits took shape in early summer it became clear that I would not be harvesting canistel, but instead needed to make an identification. It wasn’t until I started working at Incredible Edible Landscape and saw their fruiting Ross Sapote specimens, that I realized my error. 

Ross Sapote: Food Forest Filler

Although the leaves are practically identical, Ross Sapote sports a more straight and lanky growth whereas Canistel assumes a fuller shape with more lateral branching. Both require full sun, but Ross Sapote may be a better choice for plantings with less canopy space to offer.

My 8-year-old Ross Sapote tree has been in the ground for 5 years and just produced its first yield this year (2025). Living off neglect, my Ross Sapote survived with no water or fertilizer inputs, no pruning, and no protection from frosts and still fruited! Some of the branches are so lanky that they droop to the ground when fruiting, while the leader has outpaced the rest of the surrounding trees with one straight shot into the sky. (I promise I’ll prune this year.) 

Did I mention my tendency to over-plant? My Ross Sapote is stuffed into an 18’x18’ garden bed with a Longan, a Neem, 2 Black Sapotes, and a Sapodilla. I credit Ross Sapote’s slender, upright growth with its success in such dense conditions. 

What are Ross Sapote fruits like?:

Flavor-wise, Ross Sapote resembles Canistel to a degree but leaves out the off-putting characteristics. I’ve always described the flavor of Canistel as birthday cake custard, but Ross Sapote leans into complexity with charred flavor that’s reminiscent of coffee, bonfires, and autumn weather. Some friends describe Ross sapote fruits as tasting like a latte.

Ross Sapote also differs from Canistel in the fruit's texture. Canistel is a drier fruit, even when fully mature; Ross Sapote has less granulation and greater moisture content, lending to a highly palatable custard-like texture. One detracting factor is Ross Sapote’s sticky skin, which seems to emit more sap than Canistel (though this could be due to my harvest practices).

I find that Ross Sapotes have a decent shelf life for a Pouteria fruit. The flesh is not offensive when somewhat over-ripe, whereas Canistel flesh quickly becomes horribly fermented and gaseous in its over-ripe state.

Try picking your Ross Sapotes off the tree when they’re full-sized and fully-colored, but not yet soft. Counter-ripening allows for more complete softness and less occurrence of hard spots.

I HEAR that once they’re established, a Ross Sapote tree bears fruit just about year-round. Give plenty of water for maximum fruit size and to increase number of yields annually.