Common Name:

General Information

Garcinia epunctata is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 30 metres tall, sometimes to 35 metres[]. In Sierra Leone to Nigeria and extending to Angola[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is heavily exploited for its use in making chewsticks - these are commonly sold in local markets.
Apart from serious habitat losses, this species is also heavily exploited as a source of chewsticks. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(1998)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Nigeria and eastern DR Congo, south to northern Angola.

Habitat

Evergreen forests[]. Rain forests, swampy, riverine and gallery forests; dense half-deciduous forests; at elevations from around 200 - 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	23.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A dioecious species, both male and female forms usually need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[]. At least some dioecious Garcinia species, however, are able to produce fertile seed even in the absence of fertilization (asexual reproduction). Such seeds would be expected to be genetically identical to the parent[]

Edible Uses

The fruits are up to 4 cm in diameter and contain an edible pulp[].

Medicinal

The roots are crushed and soaked in palm-wine to make ‘male medicine’ which is strongly aphrodisiac[].

The bark is eaten to soothe cough[].

The leaves are made into a soup for treating upset tummy[]. The leaves are prepared in decoction to treat troubles of the teeth[].

Phytochemical analysis has shown abundant flavonins in the bark and roots, and some tannins[].

Other Uses

The tree is much exploited as a source of chewsticks, which are used for cleaning the teeth and strengthening the gums[]. In Sierra Leone the wood is split to make chew-sticks, while the Ando of Ivory Coast use the twigs for that purpose. There appears to be no other recorded usage for the wood[].

There is a sticky yellow resin present in all parts of the tree[].

The timber is hard, heavy, tough, strong and coarse-textured[].

Propagation

Seed -

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