Mangosteen

Not to be confused with mango.
This article is about the purple mangosteen. Mangosteen may also refer to the entire genus Garcinia.

Mangosteen
Illustration from Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java 1863–1864 by Berthe Hoola van Nooten (Pieter De Pannemaeker lithographer)
Photograph of a whole mangosteen fruit, and one partially peeled to show the horizontal cross-section which reveals the white internal flesh divided into seven sections.
Whole fruit and horizontal cross-section
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Clusiaceae
Genus: Garcinia
Species:
G. mangostana
Binomial name
Garcinia mangostana
Synonyms[1]
  • Mangostana garcinia Gaertn

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), also known as the purple mangosteen,[2] is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to Island Southeast Asia, from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. It has been cultivated extensively in tropical Asia since ancient times.[1][3][4][5] It is grown mainly in Southeast Asia, southwest India and other tropical areas such as Colombia, Puerto Rico and Florida,[5][6][7] where the tree has been introduced. The tree grows from 6 to 25 m (19.7 to 82.0 ft) tall.[5]

The fruit of the mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous, with fluid-filled vesicles (like the flesh of citrus fruits), with an inedible, deep reddish-purple colored rind (exocarp) when ripe.[5][6] In each fruit, the fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is botanically endocarp, i.e., the inner layer of the ovary.[8][9] The seeds are of similar size and shape to almonds.

Genus Garcinia also contains several less-known fruit-bearing species, such as the button mangosteen (G. prainiana) and the charichuelo (G. madruno).

  1. ^ a b "Garcinia mangostana L." Plant of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference stone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Yao, T. L.; Nazre, M.; McKey, D.; Jalonen, R.; Duminil, J. (March 2023). "The origin of cultivated mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana L. var. mangostana ): Critical assessments and an evolutionary-ecological perspective". Ecology and Evolution. 13 (3): e9792. doi:10.1002/ece3.9792. PMC 10020034. PMID 36937066.
  4. ^ Nazre, M. (August 2014). "New evidence on the origin of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) based on morphology and ITS sequence". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 61 (6): 1147–1158. doi:10.1007/s10722-014-0097-2.
  5. ^ a b c d Morton, Julia F (1987). "Mangosteen". Fruits of warm climates. Purdue University. pp. 301–304. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  6. ^ a b Karp, David (9 August 2006). "Forbidden? Not the Mangosteen". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  7. ^ Karp, David (8 August 2007). "Mangosteens Arrive, but Be Prepared to Pay". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  8. ^ Mabberley, D.J. 1997. The plant book: A portable dictionary of the vascular plants. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  9. ^ "Garcinia mangostana (Clusiaceae)". Montoso Gardens. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2012.