Mangosteen
Family Guttiferae
Garcinia mangostana, the mangosteen (G. mangostana 1), is an evergreen tree native to Malaysia, up to 15 m high, with yellow latex in all parts and dark green leathery, opposite elliptic-oblong leaves. The yellow unisexual flowers, 5-6 cm across, are borne terminally, with 4 sepals and petals. The fruit is a brownish-purple berry, 4-7 cm in diameter, surmounted by the calyx, which remains attached. Inside the tough skin the delicious white flesh is divided into 5 segments (G. mangostana 2), each segment containing a few seeds.
Use
The mangosteen is one of the most attractive of the tropical fruits (G. mangostana 3). The fruit is eaten fresh and made into jam. From the rind a dye is made. The genus Garcinia is named after Laurens Garein, traveller in East India and Persia (1690).