Family: CLUSIACEAE
Genus: Garcinia
Species: xanthochymus
Species Author: Hook. f.
Vernacular: False Mangosteen, Gamboge
Garcinia xanthochymus, known by the common name Garcinia, is a tree with a rounded crown that grows from 4.5 to 7.6 m in height. The leaves are large (15.4-30.5 cm in length) and leathery and are oblong to lance shaped. The small flowers (1.3 cm in diameter) are born in a dense cluster of 4-10 flowers and are greenish white in color. The flowers are unisexual meaning that the ovule and pollen producing structures are borne on separate flowers and in this species are borne on different trees. The pollen producing flowers have five petals and many stamens on which the pollen is produced that are arranged in bundles each containing five stamens. The ovule producing flowers also have stamens but they are non-functional or sterile therefore they produce no pollen. The bright yellow-orange fruit is almost round and is 5 cm to 8.9 cm in diameter. The fleshy fruit usually contains 5 seeds that are surrounded by a yellow pulp that is edible.
(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)
Garcinia species contain high levels of secondary compounds called xanthones that are reported to possess antibacterial and antimalarial properties. An extract of the bark of Garcinia xanthochymus was found to stimulate the growth of neurons or nerve tissues in culture studies. Research was conducted that investigates the anti-inflammatory activity of Garcinia xanthocymus leaves. The effect of extracts in inhibiting induced inflammation in rats was considered statistically significant.
(Chanmahasathien, W., Y. Li, M. Satake, Y. Oshima, M. Ishibashi, N. Ruangrungsi, and Y. Ohizumi. 2003. Prenylated Xanthones from Garcinia xanthochymus. Chemical Pharmaceutical Bulletin 51(11): 1332-1334.)
(Pal, S.C., S.A. Nirmal, P.S. Borhade, C. Pawar, S. Kshirsagar, and S. Atpade. 2005. Anti-inflammatory activity of various extracts of leaves of Garcinia xanthochymus. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 67(3) 394-395.)
Garcinia xanthochymus is native to northern India. The genus Garcinia contains 240 species with a center of diversity in the Old World. This species was introduced into Hawaii by Albert Jaeger in 1900.
(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)
Garcinia xanthochymus is cultivated extensively in Southeast Asia where the fruit is made into preserves, jams, and curries. The dried fruit sap is called gamboge and provides a dye that is used in watercolor paints.
Garcinia mangostana, known by the common name Mangosteen, gives the Clusiaceae, or Mangosteen family, its common name. Mangosteen fruit are successfully cultivated in the Indo-Malaysian region but are very difficult to cultivate outside of the humid tropics as they require up to 380 cm of rain annually. However, the delicately flavored fruit are very sought after and research into the cultivation of this potential crop outside of tropical climates is ongoing, in order to meet the increasing demand for Mangosteen fruit. The edible portion of Mangosteen is the fleshy aril that surrounds the seed.
(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)
As a genus Garcinia contains many species that are utilized for resources in their native regions. Garcinia kola and Garcinia mannii are native to Africa and provide important resources in this region. Garcinia kola, is native to Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon, and the seeds are utilized for both food and medicine. It is currently considered vulnerable to extinction in this region as it is slow growing and habitat loss may threaten the persistence of many populations. This species is wild-harvested and may be cultivated in some regions of Cameroon. Garcinia mannii is used extensively as a chew-stick in these regions.
(Cheek. M. 2004. Garcinia kola. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 08 July 2007.)
We currently have 4 herbarium specimens for Garcinia xanthochymus in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.
- 018182 - collected by M.-H. Sachet in 1973
- 019380 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1996
- 027974 - collected by David H. Lorence in 1998
- 052375 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2007
