Mangosteen (redirected from Garcinia mangostana)

mangosteen (mang`gəstēn'), the edible fruit of Garcinia mangostana, of the family Clusiaceae (Guttiferae), an evergreen tree native to SE Asia. The purple fruit is similar to an orange in size, thickness of the rind, and segmentation. A highly prized tropical fruit with a flavor similar to a grape-apple mixture, the mangosteen is cultivated in the West Indies. The rind is used in traditional SE Asian medicines. The mangosteen is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Theales, family Clusiaceae.

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Mangosteen 

(Garcinia mangostana), a short, dioecious tree of the family Clusiaceae (sometimes included in the family Hypericaceae). The leaves are leathery, dark green, and entire; the flowers are solitary or in groups, with pinkish, fleshy petals. The mangosteen is native to the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago. It is cultivated for its fruit in tropical Asia. The rounded fruit is reddish or brown-violet and measures up to 7 cm in diameter; it contains five to eight seeds with large white arils. The arils are edible, with tender, tart, aromatic flesh. Other species of the genus Garcinia yield edible fruits.

REFERENCE

Siniagin, I. I. Tropicheskoe zemledelie. Moscow, 1968.