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Other Names: Semetah (Malay), Mang Cut (Vietnam), Mangostan (Spanish), Mangostanier (French), Manggis
Related To:
[Clusiaceae] Mameyito, Charichuela, Imbe
Main Uses:
Fruit
Growth Rate:
Slow to moderate. Garcinia species tend to have "exponential" growth rates; the bigger they are, the faster they grow.
Mature Height/Spread:
Small tree, to 30'
Flowering/Pollination:
Flowers are white/purple, and all female; producing fruit with adventitious embryos.
Tolerance:
Intolerant of salt and salt spray. Moderately tolerant of drought once established.
Soil/Nutrition:
Acidic, well drained. Prefers constant moisture.
Light:
Young trees require shade during the juvenile stage. Once trees are 6' tall, they may be introduced gradually to full sun. This is due to the respiration caused by direct sunlight, versus of the tree's overall biomass. If garcinia mangostana receives too much sun at an early age, it will become stressed and growth will be slowed or altogether inhibited. In adult trees, the upper leaves shade the majority of the lower leaves, and only a fraction of the total leaves are in direct sunlight. This is not the case with comparatively sparse, younger trees.
Wind:
Small, sturdy tree.
Temperature:
Intolerant of prolonged temperatures below 40 degrees F.
Dangers:
None.
Diseases Prone:
Bearing Age:
6-10 years from seed.
Fruit:
Thick-skinned purple fruit, 2-3" in diameter. The dense pericarp is easily opened when fresh, containing an excellent, aromatic, melting sweet/sour flesh inside. The fresh fruit is considered by many to be one of the finest of it's genus, and even of all tropical flavors, being aptly described by Dr. David Fairchild in 1930 as "the queen of tropical fruit."
More rare, and of genetically distinct populations, are mangosteens with copper-colored fruits. A variety with slightly oblong shaped fruit, that is more sour in flavor has also been discovered.
History/Origin:
Southeast Asia; Indonesia, Thailand, Borneo.
Despite appearing to be a diecious species, the mangosteen bears only female flowers and reproduces via adventitious embryos. In other words, a male tree is not necessary to make fruits with fertile (recalcitrant) seeds. There have been reports of male-flowered trees in Borneo, however not much information is available on these claims, so this remains uncertain. The formation of adventitious embryos results in self-cloning, meaning that identical genes are passed on from one generation to the next. This fact is reflected in the identical nature of a large proportion of the mangosteen population. In the past, this observation led to a presumption that the entire species itself had essentially arisen as generations of clones from an individual unique tree. Accordingly, differences in the appearance of the tree and fruit from different regions were attributed to climactic factors. However, recent research shows that the genetic diversity of this species is greater than assumed, even despite little variability in the tree and fruit's physical appearance. Genetically unique populations do exist, such as copper-skinned mangosteens often seen in Bali, or the oblong, sour fruiting types in parts of Thailand.
The most likely scenario involves cross-pollination between two garcinia species sometime in the recent past. Garcinia mangostana is itself a polypoloid (probably a tetrapoloid), indicating it has resulted from the hybridization of two other species. Pollination is known in both of the mangosteen's most closely related species, Seashore Mangosteen garcinia hombriana, which has a smaller purple fruit, and garcinia malaccensis, which has a large fruit with a thick rind. It is quite likely that the mangosteen is a result of a pollination of a female g. hombriana, which is often cultivated, and a male g. macrophylla, which grows wild. To explain the handful of genetically distinct populations, this particular scenario would had to have happened more than once, at various intersections of these two species. Mangosteen has been extensively compared to these suspected progenitor species, and possesses many traits of each which do not fall outside the range of either species' genetic variability. This hybridization is the most likely explanation for the mangosteen's unique genetic and horticultural characteristics.
Species Observations:
Mangosteen may seem at first glance like a difficult species to grow, but once the few climactic requirements are met (chiefly humidity, temperature, and soil PH) it is fairly easy to keep a healthy tree. In the areas of the world to which it is native, it grows readily and fruits prolifically.
The renowned fruit explorer and experimenter, William Whitman, had several mature mangosteen trees growing in southeast Florida for decades, most of which which bore fruit and survived occasional freezes. This species is not so adverse to growing outside it's climate as to make it unfeasible, it is in fact proving to be more adaptable than once thought. Still, it is considered a horticultural challenge to grow it in these northern latitudes.
Propogation:
By seed, which must be planted immediately. It can take a decade to reach bearing age from seed, but under ideal conditions some trees have fruited after only 6 years. Grafting is becoming more common.
Container Culture:
Possible, due to slow growth, but not ideal, as mangosteen has large taproots.
Medicinal Uses:
Rind is astringent, being rich in tannins, and has been used as medicine for dysentery in lieu of more effective herbal treaments.
Nutritional Information:
Per 100 g of fresh fruit:
Calories 60-63
Water 80.2-84.9 g
Protein 0.50-0.60 g
Fat 0.1-0.6 g
Carbohydrates 14.3-15.6 g
Sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose) 16.42-16.82 g
Fiber 5.0-5.1 g
Ascorbic Acid 1.0-2.0 mg
Calcium 0.01-8.0 mg
Phosphorus 0.02-12.0 mg
Iron 0.20-0.80 mg
Thiamine 0.03 mg
Preparation / Food:
Mangosteens are best when eaten fresh. Fresh fruits are recently available in some major import cities in the USA (New York, Los Angeles, Boston) during limited times of the year.
Frozen whole fruits are often available at Asian supermarkets near large cities. Frozen fruits are acceptable in quality, but often are bitter, due to leeching of the latex into the edible portion of the fruits. Fruits are also available canned. Canned mangosteens are sweet, and only give a vague idea of the mangosteen's true flavor.
Regarding "whole mangosteen" juices:
Presently, there are many companies worldwide marketing mangosteen "juices" made from the whole processed fruit, including the pericarp. These juices often carry a very substantial price tag. Mangosteen fruits themselves are not expensive, produced prolifically in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in suitable climates. As of 2007, they can be purchased frozen at $3-$4 a pound (8-9 whole fruits) retail in big-city Asian supermarkets throughout the USA.
The flavor of whole, processed, pasteurized mangosteen juices are not comparable to the true flavor of a fresh mangosteen fruit. The purple pericarp is typically considered an agricultural byproduct, usually discarded, and only used occasionally for it's astringent properties. In fact, mangosteen pericarp was once recommended for use as a source of cheap and plentiful leather-tanning agent. Given that the pericarp is naturally very bitter and quite unpalatable, this implies that any proclaimed "whole mangosteen" juices are either chemically altered, so as to remove the copious astringent tannins, or that the actual juice is so dilute that mangosteen fruit is not the primary ingredient. This reality necessitates the addition of sugar, or sugary juices (such as white grape or pear) to mask the bitterness.
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"Tree is in fine shape and budding! Packing was exceptional. Thank you so much!"
- Satisfied Customer 1
"WOW, Plant is 10X better than expected. Great condition. Thank you very much."
- Satisfied Customer 2
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