Family: Sapindaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Talisia esculenta (pitomba) is a small to medium-sized tropical fruit tree native to northeastern and eastern South America, with a natural range extending from Bolivia through Guyana and into Paraguay. It produces an attractive, rounded canopy with glossy, evergreen leaves and clusters of small, yellow-orange fruit. The fruit has a soft, aromatic, sweet-tart pulp surrounding a large seed and is eaten fresh in its native range. Pitomba is also valued in home gardens and small-scale orchards as a seasonal fruit tree and for its ornamental appeal in tropical landscapes.

Risks & Threats
This species is not known to be naturalized in Hawaiʻi and has no documented history of becoming invasive in other tropical regions. While it is adapted to warm, humid climates, there is currently no evidence that it spreads aggressively or displaces native vegetation. Overall, Talisia esculenta is considered to have low invasive risk, though continued observation is always appropriate when introducing any non-native fruit tree into island ecosystems.

High Risk Traits:

• Thrives in tropical climates
  
• Shade-tolerant
  
• Tolerates many soil conditions (and potentially able to exploit many different habitat types)
  
• Dispersed by birds, frugivorous mammals and humans
  
• Able to resprout from root suckers

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of naturalization or invasiveness to date
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
  
• Non-toxic to humans
  
• Edible fruit (fleshy aril)
  
• Dioecious (requires male and female trees to set seed)
  
• Long time to maturity (possibly 15 years)
  
• Relatively large seeds unlikely to be inadvertently dispersed
  
• Seeds recalcitrant and unlikely to form a persistent seed bank