Common Name: Maphuut

General Information

Garcinia dulcis is an evergreen tree with more or less horizontal branches and a dense, pyramidal crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall. It has a short, straight bole that can be 30cm in diameter[, , ].
The tree is harvested from the wild as a local source of food, medicines and dyeing material. It is sometimes cultivated for its fruit in home gardens in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, and has been introduced into parts of tropical America[, , ]. The fruit is occasionally sold in the local markets of Thailand, but no commercial plantation is known[].
Garcinia dulcis has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines to New Guinea and northeast Australia

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the hot, wet tropics[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 30°c, but can tolerate 16 - 38°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 1,100 - 4,000mm[].
The tree is well adapted to shade and humid conditions[]. Succeeds in most, reasonably fertile, well-drained soils[]. Prefers a pH in the range 7 - 7.5, tolerating 6.5 - 8[].
Flowering usually occurs after pronounced dry weather and often happens twice a year[].

Edible Uses

The fruits can be eaten fresh, but they are sour[, , ]. A very acid, soft, juicy pulp[]. They can also be made into an excellent jam[]. The orange, globose fruits have a thin skin and are 5 - 8cm wide with slightly pointed ends[]. They contain 1 - 5 large seeds that are enveloped in a pleasant flavoured edible pulp[, ].The fruits contain high phosphorous and carbohydrate[], and are rich in citric acid[].

Medicinal

The crushed extract of the fruit is used as a relief expectorant, for coughs, and scurvy[].

The crushed extract from the root is used for the relief of fever, and to reduce poisoning and detoxification[].

The crushed extract from the bark is used for cleaning wounds[].

The oily seeds are used as a remedy for dysentery and chronic diarrhoea[].
The pounded seeds are applied to cure swellings[].

Other Uses

A green dye can be obtained from the bark, when mixed with indigo it gives a brown colour[]. The bark is used to dye mats[, ].

A yellow dye can be obtained from the resin in the unripe fruits[]. Called gamboge, it is inferior to gamboge obtained from other members of the genus, including Garcinia xanthochymus[].
Gamboge is a gum-resin which is obtained from the bark, branches and fruits of several species in the genus Garcinia. It contains around 70 - 80% resin with 15 - 25% gum and is used primarily as a pigment, being used to dye cloth (the yellow silken robes of Buddhist monks are often dyed with it), as well as supplying a golden-yellow colouring to varnishes, lacquers, paints, ink, water colours etc[, , , ].

The wood is moderately hard[].

Propagation

Seed - we have no specific information on this species, but the seed of most members of the genus can be slow to germinate, even if sown fresh, often taking 6 months or more[].

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