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Useful Tropical Plants

Garcinia wightii

T.Anderson

Clusiaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name: Sour Mangosteen

No Image.

General Information

Garcinia wightii is an evergreen shrub to small tree, growing up to 10 metres tall[
1797
Title
Garcinia wightii T. Anderson
Publication
[online] India Biodiversity Portal,Species Page :Garcinia wightii
Author
 
Website
https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/species/show/12387
Publisher
 
Year
2020
ISBN
 
Description
Accessed 22/04/2020
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials.
Garcinia wightii has a very limited range, and is only known from scattered occurrences in the Western Ghats between Anamalai and Travancore. 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

1797
Title
Garcinia wightii T. Anderson
Publication
[online] India Biodiversity Portal,Species Page :Garcinia wightii
Author
 
Website
https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/species/show/12387
Publisher
 
Year
2020
ISBN
 
Description
Accessed 22/04/2020

Range

E. Asia - southwest India (Kerala)

Habitat

An understorey trees in moist evergreen and semi-evergreen forests; at elevations up to 700 metres[
1797
Title
Garcinia wightii T. Anderson
Publication
[online] India Biodiversity Portal,Species Page :Garcinia wightii
Author
 
Website
https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/species/show/12387
Publisher
 
Year
2020
ISBN
 
Description
Accessed 22/04/2020
].

Properties

Conservation StatusVulnerable
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height6.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details



A dioecious species, both male and female forms must usually 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 plae-green, subglobose berry around 11 - 13mm x 9 - 11mm[
1797
Title
Garcinia wightii T. Anderson
Publication
[online] India Biodiversity Portal,Species Page :Garcinia wightii
Author
 
Website
https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/species/show/12387
Publisher
 
Year
2020
ISBN
 
Description
Accessed 22/04/2020
]. We have seen no reports on edibility.

Medicinal

The plant is used in folk medicine[
1797
Title
Garcinia wightii T. Anderson
Publication
[online] India Biodiversity Portal,Species Page :Garcinia wightii
Author
 
Website
https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/species/show/12387
Publisher
 
Year
2020
ISBN
 
Description
Accessed 22/04/2020
]. No more information.

Other Uses

A yellow gum-resin obtained from the bark, stems and fruits is the source of a good quality gamboge that is very soluble[
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 fruit yields a good yellow pigment, used for dyeing cloth etc[
1797
Title
Garcinia wightii T. Anderson
Publication
[online] India Biodiversity Portal,Species Page :Garcinia wightii
Author
 
Website
https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/species/show/12387
Publisher
 
Year
2020
ISBN
 
Description
Accessed 22/04/2020
].
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[
64
Title
Vegetable Gums and Resins.
Publication
 
Author
Howes. F. N.
Publisher
Faber
Year
 
ISBN
81-88818-17-8
Description
A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
,
303
Title
World Agroforesty Centre
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
,
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
,
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

The whitish-brown wood is moderately hard and close-grained[
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.
,
1797
Title
Garcinia wightii T. Anderson
Publication
[online] India Biodiversity Portal,Species Page :Garcinia wightii
Author
 
Website
https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/species/show/12387
Publisher
 
Year
2020
ISBN
 
Description
Accessed 22/04/2020
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-08. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Garcinia+wightii>

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