Garcinia xanthochymus

Garcinia xanthochymus, the false mangosteen, gamboge, yellow mangosteen, Himalayan Garcinia, or sour mangosteen is a species of mangosteens found from India, southern China, and Japan through Indochina to Peninsular Malaysia at elevations of 0 - 1400 meters. Plants are found growing in humid forests of valleys or on hills. It is locally known as defol (ডেফল) in Bengal, tepor tenga (টেপৰ টেঙা) in Assam, and heirangoi (হৈরাংগোই) in Manipur.

Description

A tree. It grows 8-15 m tall. The trunk is short and straight. The trunk is 40-50 cm thick. The crown is dense and shaped like a pyramid. The bark is grey-brown. The latex is white and sticky. The branches and leaves often droop. The twigs are angular. The leaves are large. They are 12-24 cm long by 4-7 cm wide. They are shiny above and rough underneath. They are pale green when young. The leaf stalk is 1-2.5 cm long. The male and female flowers are separate. The flowers occur in tufts of 4-10. These are white and about 1 cm across. The fruit is a golden yellow berry. They are 6-9 cm across. The skin is smooth and pale orange to dark yellow. The pulp is yellow, juicy and acidic. It usually contains 1-5 seeds. These are brown and 2.5 cm long.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, though it is rather sour. It has an aromatic, pleasantly acid taste and is mainly used as a breakfast fruit. It can be enjoyed fresh, used in sherbets, jams, curries, and vinegars, or as a flavouring in other foods, and is a rich source of citric acid. The mature berry is yellow, globose or ovoid, sometimes oblique, and 3–5cm in diameter.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit can be eaten raw. They are acidic and are often cooked with other vegetables. The fruit can be used for making jams, curries, and vinegar. It can be used as a substitute for tamarind in cooking. The fruit can be eaten roasted or boiling.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It suits the hot humid tropical lowlands. It grows in dense humid forests of valleys or on hills; (100-(600)-1000(-1400) m altitude in China. It grows in seasonal rainforest and monsoonal rainforest. It suits humid locations. The tree will grow in cooler regions but fruit are not produced. It can tolerate shade and grow in poor soils including a high pH. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, China, Cook Islands, Cuba, East Africa, Fiji, Ghana, Hawaii, Himalayas, India*, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, Pohnpei, Rotuma, SE Asia, Sikkim, Singapore, South America, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia,

Cultivation

It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 28°c, but can tolerate 16 - 36°c. Plants are tolerant of occasional light frosts. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 1,200 - 2,500mm. Tolerant of shade. Succeeds in most well-drained soils including poor soils and soils with a high pH. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7.5, tolerating 5.5 - 8. Seedling trees can commence fruit production when 7 - 8 years old. Flowering usually occurs after a spell of pronounced dry weather and can occur twice a year.

Propagation

No specific propagation information is available for this species. Seed of most members of the genus can be slow to germinate even when sown fresh, often taking 6 months or more.

Other Uses

The seeds yield up to 17% oil. The fruit juice is used as a dye. Gamboge, a gum-resin obtained from the plant, is used as a yellow dye, as an illuminant, and in varnishes and watercolours. It is commonly used to dye the robes of Buddhist priests. Young plants are used as rootstocks for mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana.

Production

Fruit are produced after 7-8 years. Fruit matures in 120-150 days. In NE India fruit are available May to July. In southern India February to May.

Other Information

It is a cultivated food plant.

Notes

There are about 300 Garcinia species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Asam gelugur, Asam kandis, Chakhasa, Chiuri, Cochin-goraka, Da ye teng huang, Dampal, Daungyan, Dawyan-ban, Dem-gola, Dephal, Demphal, Dharamba, Dieng-soh-rynsan, Dongbei, False mangosteen, Gavei, Guomanda, Heirangkhoi, Hmandaw, Hong Phap, Jevra memadie, Jharamb, Jhrambi, Mada-luang, Mada, Madaw, Mysore gamboge, Ota, Pinar, Pohon manggis asam, Sitambu, Suagke, Tamal, Tamala, Tempwr, Tepor tenga, Thesampreng, Tinctoria, Tuai-ha-bet, Yellow mangosteen

References (72)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 46
• Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 2873
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 231
• Arora, K., Indigenous Forest Management in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 73 (As Garcinia tinctoria)

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