Garcinia rubroechinata
Kosterm.
Clusiaceae
Common Name:
General Information
Garcinia rubroechinata is an evergreen tree with a cylindrical bole and stilt roots; it can grow around 12 - 20 metres tall[
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood and oil.
Garcinia rubroechinata has a small range in southwest India, large areas of which have been exposed to fires, grazing, the establishment of commercial plantations and cutting for fuelwood. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(1998)[
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
Range
E. Asia - southwest India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu)
Habitat
A subcanopy tree growing in moist evergreen forests; generally at elevations from 800 - 1,200 metres, sometimes extending up to 1,800 metres[
]
Properties
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 15.00 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[
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 fruit is a subglobose or ellipsoid, green to yellow green berry, 30 - 60mm x 25 - 50mm, covered with pyramidal spines or broad tubercles. The endocarp is soft, with a sweet white pulp containing 1 - 3 large, oblong seeds[
]. This report does not say the fruit is edible[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Medicinal
The plant is used medicinally[
]. No more details are given.
Other Uses
An oil obtained from the seeds is used for burning[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
]. Used as an illuminant[
371- Title
- Oil Yielding Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://mnes.nic.in/list/oil-plants.pdf
- Publisher
- Botanical Survey of India.
- Year
- 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A PDF downloaded from the Internet. Very terse details about the applications of oil obtained from over 300 species of plants.
].
The dark red wood is hard and heavy[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
,
]. The closely related Garcinia echinocarpa is used for shingles in Sri Lanka[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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.
