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Garcinia livingstonei

(Livingstone's Garcinia)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

African Mangosteen, Imbé, Imbe, Livingstone's Garcinia

Description

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Family Clusiaceae

Trees , shrubs , or sometimes herbs containing resin or oil in schizogenous spaces or canals and sometimes black or red glands containing hypericin or pseudohypericin. Leaves simple , entire or rarely gland-fringed, opposite or sometimes whorled , nearly always estipulate. Flowers bisexual or unisexual , regular, hypogynous, solitary or in cymes or thyrses ; bracteoles often inserted just beneath calyx and then not always easily distinguishable from sepals. Sepals (2-) 4 or 5(or 6), imbricate or decussate or rarely wholly united in bud, inner ones sometimes petaloid . Petals [3 or]4 or 5[or 6], free , imbricate or contorted in bud. Stamens many to rarely few (9), in [3 or]4 or 5 bundles (fascicles) that are free and antipetalous or variously connate , with filaments variously united or apparently free and then sometimes sterile (staminodes) ; anther dehiscence longitudinal . Staminode bundles (fasciclodes) 3-5, free and antisepalous or variously connate or absent. Ovary superior, with 2-5(-12) connate carpels, 1-12-loculed, with axile to parietal or basal placentation ; ovules 1 to many on each placenta, erect to pendulous; styles 1-5[-12], free or ± united or absent; stigmas 1-12, punctiform to peltate or, when sessile, radiate , surface papillate or smooth . Fruit a septicidal or septifragal, rarely loculicidal, capsule, berry, or drupe; seeds 1 to many, without or almost without endosperm [sometimes arillate ].

About 40 genera and 1200 species: mainly in tropical regions , except Hypericum and Triadenum, which are both mainly temperate in distribution; eight genera (one endemic) and 95 species (48 endemic, one introduced ) in China.

The Clusiaceae are a rather economically important family . Many species, such as Mesua ferrea and Garcinia paucinervis, have hard wood . Numerous species in Calophyllum, Clusia Linnaeus, and Garcinia produce valuable commercial resin or gum. Gamboge is produced from Garcinia morella Desrousseaux and other species. Garcinia mangostana and Mammea americana Linnaeus produce well-known edible fruits. Other species, such as Calophyllum inophyllum and Garcinia indica Choisy, have oily seeds. Hypericum is important in horticulture and medicine.

[1]

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.[2]

Physical Description

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May. • Flower Color: chartreuse, yellow-green

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 8-10' tall.

Biology

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Growth

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

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

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 9:263. 1867

Name verified on 17-Feb-1987 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 25-Apr-1995

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Garcinia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 450 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

G. acuminata · G. acutifolia · G. adinantha · G. affinis · G. afzelii · G. akawaensis · G. albersii · G. albo-rosea · G. amabilis · G. amboinensis · G. amplexicaulis · G. andamanica · G. andersoni · G. angolensis · G. angustifolia · G. anomala · G. antidysenterica · G. apetala · G. aphanophlebia · G. arbuscula · G. archboldiana · G. aristata · G. arthurgordoni · G. assugu · G. asterandra · G. atroviridis · G. australis · G. awahia · G. baikieana · G. baillonii · G. bakerana · G. bakeriana · G. balala · G. balansae · G. balica · G. balimensis · G. bancana · G. bangweolensis · G. barkeriana · G. barteri · G. basacensis · G. bassacensis · G. beccarii · G. beniensis · G. benthami · G. benthamiana · G. benthamii · G. bequaertii · G. bergheana · G. bhumicowa · G. bicolorata · G. bifasciculata · G. binnendijkii · G. binucao · G. blancoi · G. blumei · G. bobee-cowa · G. boeringii · G. boerlagii · G. bonii · G. borneensis · G. bosoboscensis · G. bracteata · G. branderhorstii · G. brasiliensis · G. brassii · G. brevipedicellata · G. brevipes · G. brevirostris · G. brieyi · G. broewas · G. buchananii · G. buchneri · G. bullata · G. bulusanensis · G. burkillii · G. bussei · G. busuangaensis · G. buxifolia · G. cadelliana · G. calleryi · G. caloneura · G. calophylla · G. calophyllifolia · G. calycina · G. cambodgiensis · G. cambogia · G. cambogioides · G. cantleyana · G. capuronii (Golden-Lined Sillago) · G. carolinensis · G. cataractalis · G. caudiculata · G. cauliflora · G. celebica · G. ceramica · G. cerasifer · G. cereo-flava · G. cernua · G. chapelieri

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 24, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Xi-wen Li, Jie Li, Norman K. B. Robson & Peter Stevens "Clusiaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. 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]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009