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Garcinia

(Genus)

Overview

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Garcinia is a plant genus of the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The genus, with between 50-300 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, is dioecious and several of its elements are apomictic.

Selected species
Fruit of the Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)
Fruit of the Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)

Uses

Many species of Garcinia have edible fruit, which are eaten locally, sometimes not even known just a few hundred kilometres away. The best known species is the Purple Mangosteen (G. mangostana), which is now cultivated throughout southeastern Asia and other tropical countries after recent introduction. Less well known is Kandis (G. forbesii) with small round red fruits with subacid taste and melting flesh. Tropical species in Garcinia are known for their brownish-yellow gum-resin (xanthone), used as pigments, as purgative or cathartic. Extracts of the rind of certain species (specifically Garcinia cambogia) are marketed widely as appetite suppressants, though their usefulness is unproven.

Fruit extracts from Garcinia kola have been claimed to be effective at stopping Ebola virus replication in laboratory tests.

Synonymy

The following names are treated as synonyms of Garcinia:

Taxonomy

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The Genus Garcinia is further organized into finer groupings including:

Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 14:48:55