Xanthochymus tinctorius

Common Names:
Gamboge
Cochin-goraka
Egg tree

Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division; Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Theales
Family: Clusiaceae – Mangosteen family
Genus: Garcinia L. - Saptree
Species: xanthochymus Hook. f. ex T. Anderson - Garcinia
(Stevens, P. F. (2001+). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 7, May 2007 [updated 05/28/2007]. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/.)
(USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, 7 June 2007 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.)

The leaves are large (15.4-30.5 cm in length) and leathery and are oblong to lance shaped. The small flowers (1.3 cm in diameter) are born in a dense cluster of 4-10 flowers and are greenish white in color. The flowers are unisexual meaning that the ovule and pollen producing structures are borne on separate flowers and in this species are borne on different trees. The pollen producing flowers have five petals and many stamens on which the pollen is produced that are arranged in bundles each containing five stamens. The ovule producing flowers also have stamens but they are non-functional or sterile therefore they produce no pollen. The bright yellow-orange fruit is almost round and is 5 cm to 8.9 cm in diameter. The fleshy fruit usually contains 5 seeds that are surrounded by a yellow pulp that is edible.

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

Garcinia mangostana, known by the common name Mangosteen, gives the Clusiaceae, or Mangosteen family, its common name. Mangosteen fruit are successfully cultivated in the Indo-Malaysian region but are very difficult to cultivate outside of the humid tropics as they require up to 380 cm of rain annually. However, the delicately flavored fruit are very sought after and research into the cultivation of this potential crop outside of tropical climates is ongoing, in order to meet the increasing demand for Mangosteen fruit. The edible portion of Mangosteen is the fleshy aril that surrounds the seed.

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai’i.)

An extract of the bark of Garcinia xanthochymus was found to stimulate the growth of neurons or nerve tissues in culture studies. Research was conducted that investigates the anti-inflammatory activity of Garcinia xanthocymus leaves. The effect of extracts in inhibiting induced inflammation in rats was considered statistically significant.

(Chanmahasathien, W., Y. Li, M. Satake, Y. Oshima, M. Ishibashi, N. Ruangrungsi, and Y. Ohizumi. 2003. Prenylated Xanthones from Garcinia xanthochymus. Chemical Pharmaceutical Bulletin 51(11): 1332-1334.)
(Pal, S.C., S.A. Nirmal, P.S. Borhade, C. Pawar, S. Kshirsagar, and S. Atpade. 2005. Anti-inflammatory activity of various extracts of leaves of Garcinia xanthochymus. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 67(3) 394-395.)


** The information provided above is not intended to be used as a guide for treatment of medical conditions using plants.

Garcinia kola, is native to Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon, and the seeds are utilized for both food and medicine. It is currently considered vulnerable to extinction in this region as it is slow growing and habitat loss may threaten the persistence of many populations. This species is wild-harvested and may be cultivated in some regions of Cameroon. Garcinia mannii is used extensively as a chew-stick in these regions.

(Cheek. M. 2004. Garcinia kola. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 08 July 2007.)