Garcinia dulcis

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

A cone-shaped tree native to India to Malaya, with drooping branches and smooth-skinned, edible, yellow (when ripe ) fruit to 3 inches in diameter. The sour pulp of the fruit is yellow and juicy. Unripe fruits provide an inferior gamboge paint. The bark yields a black dye used for cotton.

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Genus Garcinia

Trees or shrubs , usually with yellow latex. Terminal bud functional; buds usually lacking scales . Leaves opposite [or rarely whorled ], very rarely stipulate , petiolate , entire, leathery to papery , usually glabrous ; secondary veins usually prominent , numerous to few, oblique to perpendicular to midvein ; tertiary veins reticulate, with adaxial brownish transvenous resin canals [or much branched] and abaxial linear [to punctiform or much branched] or intervenous translucent glands ; petiole often with basal liguliform appendage . Plant functionally dioecious (sometimes apparently flowers bisexual or plant monoecious), flowers in terminal and/or axillary cymes (often thyrsiform), triads or fascicles, or paired or solitary. Sepals [2 or 3 or]4 or 5, decussate or imbricate (quincuncial), free [or very rarely completely connate in bud]. Petals [3 or]4 or 5[-8], fascicles each with many to few stamens with filaments almost free to completely united , or ± completely connate [or adnate to petals], with anthers 1, 2, 4 or many-celled, basifixed or variously united; fasciclodes (sterile stamen fascicles) 4 or 5, antisepalous and free or ± united or absent; pistillode present or absent. Female flowers: staminode fascicles as for staminate flowers but smaller or staminodes apparently free; fasciclodes free as in male flower but smaller or united in a ring at base of ovary or absent; stigmas free or ± united, peltate, 2-5-lobed or entire. Berry smooth or sulcate [or verrucose or rarely secondarily dehiscent ], with leathery to thin exocarp and 1-5 or sometimes more seeds embedded in endocarpic pulp. Seeds large; hypocotyl massive.

About 450 species: tropical and S Africa, Madagascar, tropical Asia, NE Australia, W Polynesia, tropical America; 20 species (13 endemic, one introduced ) in China.

The fruit of most species in this genus are edible, among them, those of Garcinia mangostana are famous. The seeds yield more than 15% oil . The yellow resin of some species is used as a medicine. Species like G. hanburyi J. D. Hooker provide medicinal resin and yellow dyes of the best quality. The timber of many species is used for building houses or making furniture.[1]

Physical Description

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Xanthochymus Dulcis

Notes

Basionym : Clusiaceae Xanthochymus dulcis Roxb.

Basionym author: (Roxb.)

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

Members of the genus Garcinia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 20 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

G. capuronii (Tin Can Bay Whiting) · G. dulcis (Gourka) · G. hanburyi (Hanbury's Garcinia) · G. hessii (Lemon Saptree) · G. hombroniana (Luli) · G. indica (Garcinia) · G. intermedia (Monkey Fruit) · G. kola (Garcinia) · G. lateriflora (Garcinia) · G. livingstonei (African Mangosteen) · G. lowryi (Clanwilliam Redfin) · G. mangostana (Manggis) · G. morella (Ceylon Camboge) · G. multiflora (Garcinia) · G. myrtifolia (Garcinia) · G. portoricensis (Bakupari) · G. prainiana (Button Mangosteen) · G. schomburgkiana (Madan) · G. spicata (Gamboge Tree) · G. xanthochymus (False Mangosteen)

More Info

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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, Manila, Bureau of Printing, 1922-26. url p. 84.
• Botanical publications of E.D. Merrill. [New York, etc., 1899- url .
• Bulletin. Manila, Bureau of printing, 1903- url p. 12, p. 121, p. 122, p. 160, p. 272, p. 7.
• Check-list of the species of fishes known from the Philippine Archipelago, Manila, Bureau of printing, 1910. url p. 268, p. 372, p. 513.
• Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45 2003 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 267, p. 426, p. 532.
• Flora Vitiensis nova: a new Flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only) / Albert C. Smith. Lawaii, Hawaii: Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, 1979- url p. 347.
• Johnson's Gardeners' dictionary and cultural instructor. London, A. T. De La Mare printing and publishing co., ltd.[1916] url p. 913.
• Materials for a flora of the Malayan Peninsula. By George King [and J.S. Gamble]. Calcutta;1889-1936. url p. 169, p. 170.
• Minor products of Philippine forests, Manila, Bureau of Printing, 1920-1921. url , .
• Observations on the gestation of some sharks and rays / Calcutta: Asiatic Society, 1891. url p. 170.
• Pre-project study on the conservation status of tropical timbers in trade. Final report to International Tropical Timber Organization. Vol 1 ITTO url p. 195.
• Species Blancoanae: a critical revision of the Philippine species of plants described by Blanco and by Llanos /by E.D. Merrill. 1918 Manila: Bureau of Printing, 1918. url p. 268.
• Sturtevant's notes on edible plants / Edited by U.P. Hedrick. Albany: J.B. Lyon, 1919. url p. 285.
• The Bradley bibliography; a guide to the literature of the woody plants of the world published before the beginning of the twentieth century; Cambridge, Riverside Press, 1911-18. url p. 555.
• The Philippine journal of science. 11 1916 Manila. url p. 292, p. 327, p. 360.
• The flora of the Malay Peninsula. By Henry N. Ridley, with illus. by J. Hutchinson. London, L. Reeve & co., ltd., 1922-25. url p. 169.
• The gardens' bulletin, Straits Settlements. Singapore: Straits Times Press, 1913-1941. url p. 205.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 11, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 24, 2007:

• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, Plants of Papua New Guinea

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2670160
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-506128
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13763950
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:427931-1
• GRIN Nomen Number: 71002
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 506128
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 427931-1
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: GADU3
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 37388

Footnotes

1. Xi-wen Li, Jie Li & Peter Stevens "Garcinia". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 1, 40. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.