Garcinia cowa

Garcinia cowa, commonly known as cowa fruit or cowa mangosteen is an evergreen plant with edible fruit native to Asia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and southwest China. The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible fruits and leaves, which are used locally. Flowers are yellow, male & female flowers are separated. It is locally known as Kau Thekera (কাও থেকেৰা) in Assamese, Kawa or kau in Bengali and Malayalam, Kau in Manipuri.

Description

A tree. It grows 8-12 m tall. The trunk can be 30-50 cm across. The trunk is straight but usually with many knots. The crown is oval and the leaves are dark green. The small branches are often 4 sided. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped and 7-12 cm long by 3-5 cm wide. The flowers are yellow and 1 cm across. Male and female flowers are separate. The fruit is rounded with 4-8 segments. It is 3-4 cm across. There are 6-10 seeds with a layer around them.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw and has an acidic flavor. It is used in curries as a tamarind-like flavoring, as well as being used for making pickles. It can be made into slices and sun-dried as a way to preserve it. Its leaves can also be cooked and eaten.

Traditional Uses

The mature fruit are eaten. They are eaten raw. They are sticky. They are also used for jams and preserves. The fruit can be sliced and dried and stored. They are also used for pickles. They are also used in soups. The young leaves are cooked and used as a vegetable. They are used in pork curry and also with fish. The seeds of the ripe fruit are eaten.

Medicinal Uses

In Thailand Garcinia cowa has been used in the local folk medicine, the bark as an antipyretic and antimicrobial, the latex as an antipuretic, and the fruits and leaves to improve blood circulation, as an expectorant for coughs and indigestion, and a laxative. The roots are believed to relieve fevers, and in East India, sun-dried slices of the fruit have been used as a treatment for dysentery.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in humid mixed forests on hills or in valleys from 100 m altitude but mostly between 400-900 and occasionally to 1300 m in southern China. In XTBG Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andamans, Asia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Africa, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Zambia,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds. They can also be grown by grafting.

Propagation

Seed - we have no specific information on this species, but the seed of most members of the genus can be slow to germinate, even if sown fresh, often taking 6 months or more.

Other Uses

The plant is sometimes grown, especially in the Philippines, as a grafting stock for the mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana). The tree yields a yellow gum, insoluble in water, but soluble in spirits. It is, therefore, likely to prove useful as a varnish, but not as a pigment. The yield of gum is low. The stem yields a gum resin that can be used to prepare a yellow varnish. The fruit yields a gum resin that can be used to prepare a yellow varnish. The seeds yield around 9% oil. The greyish-white wood is moderately hard with many wavy, fine, concentric bands of soft tissue. It is not used.

Production

Trees take 3 years before having leaves ready for harvest. In NE Thailand fruit are available August to September.

Notes

There are about 300 Garcinia species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Aghatsa, Bak moong, Ban suntala, Cha muang, Chamuang, Chengkek, Cowa-Mangosteen, Cowphal, Dengadote, Gava, Gehahao, Guo da, Guyei, Haibung, Huang xin shu, Kagyi, Kao, Kao-gola, Kaphal, Kau thekera, Kau, Kauba, Kauthekera, Kaw, Ke diu biu, Kemenjing, Kouthekera, Kujitherekera, Maksommong, Pala-kye, Phak moong, Phelamesong, Pohon manggis kemenjing, Pradang, Rengran, Sommong, Tai chua, Taika, Taung-thale, Tromeng, Tromoung, Ye-kabyin, Yi ka bu duo si, Yun shu

References (71)

• Aiguo, C. & Zhiling, D., 2001, Managing Agricultural Resources for Biodiversity Conservation. Case Study Yunnan, Southwest China. Environment Liaison Center International. p 15
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 229 Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 212
• Arora, K., Indigenous Forest Management in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. (As Garcinia kawa)
• BARC, 2016, State of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council.
• Brahma, S., et al, 2013, Wild edible fruits of Kokrajhar district of Assam, North-East India, Asian Journal of Plant Science and Research 3(6):95-100

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