Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Wooly-leaf White Sapote (Casimiroa tetrameria)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Wooly-leaf White Sapote, Wooly-leaved Sapote, Zapote Borracho.

More about wooly-leaf white sapote

About Wooly-leaf White Sapote

Casimiroa tetrameria · also called Wooly-leaf White Sapote, Wooly-leaved Sapote · tropical

A medium-to-large Rutaceae tree native to southern Mexico, closely related to white sapote but distinguished by the dense white-woolly undersides of its leaves. Less cold-hardy than Casimiroa edulis, it requires a subtropical to tropical climate with moderate humidity. Fruit quality varies markedly by cultivar; propagate selected varieties by grafting for reliable crops.

Cold limit: USDA 10a–11 · RHS H1b (8–36 °C)

Watch for — Cold damage: Less frost-hardy than C. edulis; mid-20s°F (around −3 °C) cause moderate to severe tissue damage. Young trees are most vulnerable. Protect with frost cloth or plant near thermal mass in borderline climates.

What wooly-leaf white sapote's hardiness rating actually means

Wooly-leaf White Sapote is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10a–11 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Wooly-leaf White Sapote has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for wooly-leaf white sapote as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can wooly-leaf white sapote go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when wooly-leaf white sapote can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Wooly-leaf White Sapote hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is wooly-leaf white sapote cold hardy?

Wooly-leaf White Sapote is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Wooly-leaf White Sapote can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10a–11); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature wooly-leaf white sapote can survive?

What hardiness zone is wooly-leaf white sapote?

Wooly-leaf White Sapote is rated USDA 10a–11 and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can wooly-leaf white sapote survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to wooly-leaf white sapote below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.