Garcinia punctata
Oliv.
Clusiaceae
Garcinia dandii De Wild.
Garcinia longiacuminata Engl. ex De Wild.
Common Name:
General Information
Garcinia punctata is an evergreen shrub or a tree with a dense, spreading crown of erect or trailing branches. It can grow 5 - 12 metres tall, occasionally reaching 30 metres[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
,
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine.
Garcinia punctata 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(2019)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
308- Title
- Flora Zambesiaca
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
Range
Tropical Africa - Nigeria to eastern DR Congo, south to Angola and Zambia
Habitat
Dense and galleried forest, often in wet situations and then with stilt-roots[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
]. Rain-forest; along river banks; Cryptosepalum woodland; at elevations around 400 metres[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Least Concern |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Tree |
| Height | 8.00 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[
1149- Title
- Contribution to the taxonomy of Garcinia (Clusiaceae) in Africa, including two new species from Gabon and a key to t
- Publication
- PhytoKeys 17: 41-62 (2012)
- Author
- Marc S.M. Sosef, Gilles Dauby
- Website
- http://www.phytokeys.com
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2012
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
]. 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[
1798- Title
- Taxonomic Revision of Garcinia Section Garcinia (Clusiaceae)
- Publication
- Phytotaxa 373 (1): 001-052
- Author
- Nazre M., Newman M.F., Pennington R.T. & Middleton D.J.
- Website
- https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.373.1.1
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2018
- ISBN
- 1179-3155
- Description
-
]
Edible Uses
The seed kernel is eaten in W Cameroons[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Medicinal
The powdered bark is applied to snake-bites[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Sap from the bark, or a decoction of the bark, is taken by draught for the treatment of costal pain and cough; the painful areas are scarified and embrocated with the leaf-sap of this species to which has been added gunpowder and charcoal made from the wood of Schwenckia americana L., and Dichrostachys glomerata (Forssk.) Chiov.[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Other Uses
None known
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[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
