Talisia floresii
Coloc
Talisia floresii
Talisia spp. Is one of the genera that I am particularly interested in investigating. A few species have been on my list, mainly Talisia floresii, Talisia oliviformis and Talisia esculenta. The species has a range that spans from South Eastern Mexico throughout Guatemala. It seems as if this species has a more tropical desire due to many accessions having been made in Coastal Tropical areas as well as around the ruins of Tikal and into Peten. Surprisingly, there have only been a hand full of collections that mainly occurred in the 1930’s and early 1900’s. Talk about a species that needs some more attention!
Talisia floresii is a very interesting species within the Sapindaceae family, the same family as Lychee and Longan. Coloc can be found in clusters hanging from the canopies of these big tropical trees. The fruit has a green outer shell that gives way to a very sweet and delicately crunchy interior with a single large seed inside. The fruits are fairly large and the seeds are as well, while still leaving plenty of room for the delicious flesh. There is really not a lot of information about this species and there are very few people claiming growing experience online. This species seems like a great sure species for tropical gardens and a marginal species in subtropical/ colder gardens. I’ll be growing out a bunch to trial them, as I can’t help but need to get that crazy looking fruit into my life!
Family: Sapindaceae
Name: Talisia floresii
Common Name / Native Name: Coloc (Mayan)
Range: SE Mexico and Guatemala
Sun: Full sun/Part Shade
Height: 60+ feet in Native Range
Width: 30+ feet
Foliage: Compound leaves with oblong foliage similar to other popular Sapindaceae (Dimocarpus spp.), very tomentose (fine dense hairs)
Flower: Small white/yellow flowers, pedicellate (downward hanging pedicles)
Fruit: Fairly large (between baseball & golfball), green shell, sweet, orange crunchy interior flesh
Soil Type/ pH: Prefers acidic soils but will tolerate higher pH
USDA Climate Zones: Unknown
Cold Hardiness: Unknown
Edibility: Supposedly a very good fruit eaten out of hand
Age to maturity: Unknown
Sources:
https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=193060
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:249224-2