Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

red mombin

Spondias purpurea

Spanish: Ciruela mexicana

red mombin (Spondias purpurea)
Photographed by vicente47506 on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Spondias purpurea is a species in flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to tropical regions of the Americas. It is most commonly known as jocote, which derives from the Nahuatl word xocotl, meaning any kind of sour or acidic fruit. However, this fruit can be particularly sweet when it ripens long enough. Other common names include red mombin, purple mombin, hog plum, ciruela huesito (Venezuela), ciruela, ciriguela, cirigüela, cirguela, and jobito (Ecuador).

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Sapindales › Anacardiaceae
Local records17 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records4,799 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2025 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “red mombin (Spondias purpurea) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/spondias-purpurea/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.