Lucuma bifera

This evergreen tree is up to tall, and has greyish-brown, fissured bark, which produces a milky white exudate. The end of branchlets and the petioles are covered with short, brown hairs. The leaves are simple, oblanceolate to elliptical, up to long and wide, and glabrous (or sometimes slightly hairy on the underside) grouped at the end of the branches. Flowers are solitary or in fascicles, small, axillary, with hairy sepals and a corolla forming a tube long, greenish white, with five lobes, five stamens, five staminodes, a pubescent ovary, and a style long. The fruit is globose, long, glabrous, and russet to yellow when mature; the pulp is bright yellow; the one to several seeds are long, dark brown, and glossy. ==History==

Representations of lúcuma have been found on ceramics at burial sites of the indigenous people of coastal Peru. The fruit was first seen and reported by Europeans in Ecuador in 1531. == Distribution and habitat ==

The area of origin of L. bifera is located in the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile, at temperate elevations of . ==Cultivation==

pottery representing lucumas.In addition to Peru, the fruit is grown also to a limited extent in Bolivia, Chile and Costa Rica. Attempts at growing lúcuma in Florida's climate are typically not successful. The fruit is successfully grown in Vietnam, where it is known as lêkima. In Peru, harvesting season is from October to March and in Chile from June to November. ==Uses==

When eaten raw, the very sweet fruit is bright yellow and has a mealy and dry texture. and one of the most popular fresh fruits. ==Nutrition==

Lúcuma pulp has a 64-72% moisture content. The pulp also contains glucose, fructose, sucrose, inositol, citric acid, and succinic acid. ==References==