Garcinia mangostana L.

Ngernsaengsaruay, Chatchai, Chanton, Pichet, Leksungnoen, Nisa, Chaiprasongsuk, Minta & Thunthawanich, Raweewan, 2024, A taxonomic revision of Garcinia section Garcinia (Clusiaceae) in Thailand, PhytoKeys 244, pp. 175-211 : 175-211

3. Garcinia mangostana L. , Sp. Pl. 1: 443. 1753; Roxb. in Carey, Fl. Ind. 2: 619. 1832; Miq. Fl. Ned. Ind. 1 (2): 506. 1859; Planch. & Triana, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 14: 325. 1860; Laness., Mém. Gen. Garc.: 15. 1872; T. Anderson in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 1 (2): 260. 1874; Kurz, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 43 (2): 86. 1874 et Forest Fl. Burma 1: 87. 1877; Pierre, Fl. Forest. Cochinch. 1 (4): t. 54. 1882; Vesque, Epharmosis 2: 17. t. 160, 161. 1889; King, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 59 (2): 156. 1890; Vesque in A. DC. & C. DC., Monogr. Phan. 8: 386. 1893; Engl. in Engl. & Prantl, Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien 3 (6): 235. fig. 114 A, B. 1893; Brandis, Indian Trees: 49. 1906; Merr., Philipp. J. Sci. 3: 364. 1908; Gamble, Fl. Madras 1: 73. 1915; Pit. in Lecomte et al., Fl. Indo-Chine 1 (4): 307. 1910; Ridl., Fl. Malay Penins. 1: 172. 1922; Merr., Enum. Philipp. Fl. Pl. 3: 85. 1923; C. E. Parkinson, Forest Fl. Andaman Isl.: 88. 1923; Corner, Wayside Trees Mal. 1: 318. ed. 2. 1952; Pételot, Arch. Rech. Agron. Cambodge Laos Vietnam 1: 62. 1952; Backer & Bakh. f., Fl. Java (Spermatoph.) 1: 387. 1963; Maheshw., Bull. Bot. Surv. India 6: 120. t. 2. fig. 14. 1964; Corner & Watan., Ill. Guide Trop. Pl.: t. 191. fig. 8. 1969; Whitmore in Whitmore, Tree Fl. Malaya 2: 215. 1973; D’Arcy, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 67: 998. fig. 4 B. 1980; S. W. Jones, Morphology and Major Taxonomy of Garcinia (Guttiferae), Ph. D. Thesis (unpublished): 288. 1980; Kosterm. in Dassan. & F. R. Forsberg, Revis. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 1: 88. 1980; H. Keng, Concise Fl. Singapore: 49. 1990; P. H. Hô, Câyco Vietnam 1: 559. fig. 1544. 1991; E. W. M. Verheij & R. E. Coronel (eds), PROSEA 2: 177, t. 178. 1992; N. P. Singh in B. D. Sharma & Sanjappa, Fl. Ind. 3: 143. 1993; X. W. Li, J. Li, N. Robson & P. F. Stevens in C. Y. Wu, P. H. Raven & D. Y. Hong, Fl. China 13: 43. 2007; W. E. Cooper, Austrobaileya 9 (1): 17. 2013; S. Gardner, P. Sidisunthorn & Chayam., Forest Trees S. Thailand 1: 355. fig. 546. 2015. var. amangostana, Nazre et al., Phytotaxa 373 (1): 31. fig. 12. 2018.

Fig. 5 .

≡ Mangostana garcinia Gaertn. , Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 105. t. 105 a – g. 1790.

Type.

illustration, “ Mangoustan ”, Garcin (1733: Philosop. Transact. 431. figs 1–9.) (lectotype, designated by Hammel in Jarvis et al. 1993: 28).

Description.

Habit trees, 7–20 (– 25) m tall, 40–150 cm GBH; latex yellow, sticky; branchlets green, 4 - ridged, glabrous. Bark dark brown, scaly; inner bark brownish orange. Leaves: lamina elliptic, oblong-elliptic, oblong or ovate, 15.5–36 × 6.5–13 cm, apex acute or acuminate, base obtuse or oblique, sometimes cuneate, margin entire or repand, thickly coriaceous, smooth or slightly bullate, shiny dark green above, paler below, glabrous on both surfaces, midrib slightly raised above, raised as a prominent ridge below, secondary veins 10–18 each side, curving towards the margin and connected in distinct loops and united into 2 intramarginal veins, flattened above, raised and conspicuous below, intramarginal veins shallowly grooved above, with intersecondary veins, veinlets reticulate, visible below, interrupted long wavy lines of differing lengths, running across the secondary veins to the apex or the margin, conspicuous below; petiole green, stout, 1.5–2.7 cm long, 4–7 mm in diam., not grooved, distinctly transversely rugose, glabrous, with a basal appendage clasping the branchlets; young leaves brownish red or reddish brown, turning pale green, glossy; fresh leaves tough when crushed; mature leaves turning greenish yellow to pale yellow before falling off; dry leaves pale brown or reddish brown. Inflorescences terminal. Flowers: sepals and petals glabrous. Male flowers not seen. Female flower buds subglobose to globose, 1–2 cm in diam. Female flowers solitary or in a cluster of 2–5 (– 7) flowers, 3.2–5 cm in diam.; bracteoles caducous; pedicel (of a flower in an inflorescence) or peduncle (of a solitary flower) green, stout, terete or slightly 4 - angled, 1–2.4 cm long, 5.5–8 mm in diam., glabrous; sepals 4, pale green outside, bright red or yellowish red inside, concave, thickly coriaceous, suborbicular, orbicular or broadly elliptic, 1–2 × 1–2.2 cm, the outer pair slightly smaller than the inner pair, apex rounded; petals 4, yellowish red or yellowish pink, somewhat thick and fleshy, suborbicular, broadly elliptic, broadly obovate or broadly ovate, 1.1–2.1 × 1.4–2.6 cm, unequal, apex rounded, margin entire or irregularly lobed and undulated; staminodes 10–18, free, surrounding the ovary; filaments filiform, 2–5 × 0.5–1.2 mm, unequal; anthers pale yellow or brownish yellow, 1.2–1.7 × 1–1.4 mm; pistil fungiform, 0.6–1.2 cm long; ovary pale green, depressed globose or subglobose, 0.4–0.7 × 0.6–1.3 cm, glabrous, 4–8 - locular; stigma pale yellow, convex, radiate, deeply 4–8 - lobed, 1.5–3 mm long, 0.7–1.2 cm in diam., smooth. Fruits pale green or greenish pale yellow, turning pinkish pale yellow, pink, reddish purple to blackish purple when ripe, smooth, glabrous, with a sticky yellow latex, subglobose or globose, 3.4–6.2 × 3.8–7 cm, pericarp 0.4–1.2 cm thick, reddish purple, fleshy, becoming woody when dry; persistent stigma dark brown or blackish brown, flattened, radiate, deeply 4–8 - lobed, 1.4–2.5 cm in diam., lobes wedge-shaped; persistent sepals green or green tinged with reddish purple, thickly coriaceous, 1.2–2.5 × 1.2–2.8 cm, usually larger than in flowering materials; fruiting stalk green, strong and thick, 1.2–2.6 cm long, 0.6–1.2 cm in diam., glabrous. Seeds 4–8, sometimes aborted, brown mottled with irregular lines, broadly ellipsoid, ellipsoid or semi-ellipsoid, 1.5–2.5 × 0.8–2 cm, compressed, rounded at both ends, with a white fleshy pulp.

Distribution.

The native range of this variety is Peninsular Malaysia. Cultivated throughout the tropics, mainly in Southeast Asia.

Distribution in Thailand.

It is cultivated throughout the country, especially in the peninsular and the south-eastern regions.

Habitat and ecology.

It is known only in cultivation. This species prefers humid climate.

Phenology.

In the south-eastern region: flowering December to February (March); fruiting February to June; harvesting April to May (June). In the peninsular region: flowering February to April; fruiting April to August; harvesting July to August [out-of-season: flowering August to October; fruiting October to February; harvesting December to February].

Conservation status.

Garcinia mangostana var. mangostana is widely cultivated throughout the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia. Because of its wide distribution, the number of localities, and because it is not facing any threat of extinction, we consider the conservation assessment as LC.

Etymology.

The specific epithet of Garcinia mangostana is a Latin word, and is derived from the French “ Mangoustan ”, which translated to the English “ Mangostan ”, refers to mangosteen.

Vernacular names.

Mangkhut (ม ั งค ุ ด) (General); Măng c ụt ( Vietnam); Manggis ( Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines); Manggustan ( Philippines); Mangoustan, Mangoustanier ( France); Mingut ( Myanmar); Mongkhut ( Cambodia); Mangosteen, Purple mangosteen (English).

Uses.

Mangosteen is widely cultivated as a fruit tree, especially in Southeast Asia. The juicy fleshy pulp surrounding the seeds is edible and has a sweet and sour taste. It is commonly known as the “ queen of tropical fruits ”. The juicy fleshy seed pulp can be used for making jams, beverages, ice creams, preserves (“ Mang khut kuan ” in Thai), and used fresh in syrup. In Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, the seeds with white fleshy pulp can be eaten raw (“ Mang khut khat ”) (Fig. 5 H ) or cooked, e. g., used for consumption in the southern Thai spicy sour yellow curries with fish or shrimp: “ Kaeng Som ” (sour curry) or “ Kaeng Lueang ” (yellow sour curry).

The fruit rind (pericarp) is used to tan leather and to produce black dye ( Maheshwari 1964; Verheij and Coronel 1992). The wood is used for cabinetry, building purposes, rice pounders, and spear handles ( Maheshwari 1964). It has been used in Thai traditional medicine for treatment of diarrhea and skin infections ( Gritsanapan 1994). It contains tannins and xanthones, i. e., alpha-, beta- and gamma-mangostins ( Govindachari et al. 1971; Jinsart et al. 1992; Nakatani et al. 2002). Alpha-mangostin is a major component which possesses anti-inflammatory ( Chen et al. 2008) and antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , S. epidermidis , and Propionibacterium acnes ( Iinuma et al. 1996; Chomnawang et al. 2005). The fruit rind extract and mangostin have been known to possess antibacterial activity against bacteria causing acne. In Thailand, mangosteen fruit extract is popularly used as a food supplement while the fruit rind extract has been used in herbal cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. ( Pothitirat and Gritsanapan 2008). The bark, young leaves, and fruit rind are used as a gargle for a sore mouth ( Maheshwari 1964). In Thailand, the extract is popularly used in herbal cosmetics for anti-acne effect ( Pothitirat and Gritsanapan 2008).

Notes.

Garcinia mangostana was named by Linnaeus 1753: 443. It is the most important cultivated species in the genus of Garcinia . However, the latest taxonomic revision by Nazre et al. (2018) revealed that the species can be classified into three varieties: the cultivated variety G. mangostana var. mangostana and two wild varieties G. mangostana var. malaccensis (Hook. f.) Nazre and G. mangostana var. borneensis Nazre. The varieties can only be distinguished with fertile and mature materials although male trees are rarely found.

Garcinia mangostana var. mangostana is very similar to G. mangostana var. malaccensis and G. mangostana var. borneensis and is distinguished by its male flowers with dwarf-fungiform (broadly fungiform) pistillodes, c. 5 mm long; fruits ovoid or globose; smooth stigma surface; and it is found only in cultivation. In contrast, the other two varieties have male flowers with small pistillodes c. 2 mm long or without pistillodes; globose, ellipsoid or ovoid fruits; rugose stigma surfaces; and they are found in the wild or in cultivation. G. mangostana var. malaccensis differs from G. mangostana var. borneensis in its stamens in a conical mass or slightly 4 - angled, up to 1 cm long (vs in 4 - angled, square-shaped, up to 6 mm long); fruits globose, ellipsoid or ovoid (vs globose); and stigma weakly to strongly raised (vs sessile). G. mangostana var. malaccensis is found in lowland forests in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Borneo ( Brunei and Sarawak), while G. mangostana var. borneensis is found only in lowland forest of Borneo (East Coast of Sabah and Kalimantan) ( Nazre et al. 2018).

As mentioned by Nazre et al. (2018), the shape and size of leaves of Garcinia mangostana var. mangostana are elliptic to broadly elliptic, ovate or oblanceolate and 9.2–25.5 × 7–9 cm; base of petiole without ligule-like appendage; however, from our observations, we found the leaves can be elliptic, oblong-elliptic, oblong or ovate, and sometimes larger, 15.5–36 × 6.5–13 cm; petiole with a basal appendage clasping the branchlets.

According to Nazre et al. (2018), the male flowers of Garcinia mangostana var. mangostana have a single square (4 - angled) mass of stamens surrounding the base of the pistillode and up to 8 mm long. Based on our observations, the male plants have never been found in Thailand. Therefore, in Thailand mangosteen appear to be an obligately agamospermous species (apomictic species) with the production of seeds without fertilization.

As stated in Nazre et al. (2018), the shape and size of fruits of Garcinia mangostana var. mangostana are ovoid or globose and up to 6 cm across; however, from our examination of specimens, we found the fruits can be subglobose or globose, and sometimes larger, 3.4–6.2 × 3.8–7 cm.

Additional specimens examined.

Thailand. Northern: Chiang Mai [Doi Chiang Dao, fl., 28 Oct 1979 [as Garcinia sp. ], cultivated, T. Shimizu et al. T- 20980 ( AAU, BKF)]; Central: Suphan Buri [Si Samran Subdistrict, Song Phi Nong District, sterile, 9 Mar 2016, cultivated, W. Sueksakit M 10-1 ( BK)]; Nakhon Pathom [Silpakorn University, sterile, 20 Apr 2017, cultivated, W. Sueksakit M 10-3 ( BK)]; Bangkok [locality no specified, fl., Feb 1869, [as Garcinia sp. ], cultivated, C. A. Feilberg s. n. (C); locality no specified, fl., 14 Mar 1920, cultivated, A. F. G. Kerr s. n. ( BM); locality no specified, fl., 14 Mar 1920, cultivated, A. Marcan 102 A ( BM); Khong San District, young fr., 20 Feb 1970, cultivated, J. F. Maxwell 70-23 (BK, L [L 2416561])]; South-Eastern: Rayong [locality not specified, fr., 16 Jul 2013, cultivated, Naiyana 01 ( BKF)]; Chanthaburi [Khitchakut District, fr., 12 Jul 2003, cultivated, P. Palee s. n. ( CMUB)]; Trat [Salak Phet Waterfall, Mu Ko Chang National Park, young fr., 29 Mar 2000, cultivated, T. Wongprasert s. n. ( BKF 128511); Wang Saem Subdistrict, Makham District, female fl., 20 Jan 2024, cultivated, C. Ngernsaengsaruay et al. G 55-20012024 ( BKF)]; Peninsular: Surat Thani [Ko Samui, fr., 31 May 1960, cultivated, Chirayupin 111 ( BK); Ban Song Subdistrict, fr., 12 Aug 1979, cultivated, Supatra 27 ( PSU)]; Phangnga [Si Phang Nga National Park, sterile, 17 Dec 2003, cultivated, A. Sloth 561 ( AAU); Ko Phra Thong, fl., 8 Feb 2005, cultivated, C. Phengklai et al. 13945 ( BKF); Bang Nai Si Subdistrict, Takua Pa District, sterile, 1 Sep 2016, cultivated, W. Sueksakit M 10-1 ( BK)]; Nakhon Si Thammarat [locality no specified, sterile, 24 Aug 1980, cultivated, Students s. n. ( PSU); locality no specified, fr., 20 Aug 1981, cultivated, Mai 4 ( PSU); Khao Luang, fl., 25 Apr 1990, cultivated, R. Pooma P 37 ( BKF)]; Phatthalung [Khao Pu-Khao Ya National Park, Si Banphot District, fr., 26 Jul 1986, cultivated, J. F. Maxwell 86-499 ( AAU, BKF, L [L 2416615], P [P 05061446], PSU)]; Narathiwat [Chat Warin Waterfall, fr., 15 Aug 1995, cultivated, K. Larsen et al. 45615 ( AAU, BKF)].

Figures

Figure 5. Garcinia mangostana A habit and habitat B stem, bark, and slashed bark with yellow latex C branchlets, young and mature leaves D branchlet and female flower E branchlet and female inflorescence with female flowers F ripe fruits G ripe fruits and seeds with a white fleshy pulp H seeds with a white fleshy pulp. Photos: Chatchai Ngernsaengsaruay.