Difference between revisions of "Mangosteen"

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|genus=Mangosteen
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|genus=Garcinia
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|species=mangostana
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|common_name=Mangosteen
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|habit=tree
 
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|origin=Indonesia
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|lifespan=perennial
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|features=evergreen
 
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|jumpin=This is the plant information box - for information on light; water; zones; height; etc. If it is mostly empty you can help grow this page by clicking on the edit tab and filling in the blanks!
 
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The '''Purple Mangosteen''' ('''''Garcinia mangostana'''''), colloquially known simply as "the '''mangosteen'''", is a [[tropical]] [[evergreen]] [[tree]], believed to have originated in the [[Sunda Islands]] and the [[Moluccas]] of [[Indonesia]]. The tree grows from 7 to 25 m (20–80 [[foot|ft]]) tall. The rind ([[exocarp]]) of the edible [[fruit]] is deep reddish purple when [[Ripening|ripe]]. Botanically an [[aril]], the fragrant edible flesh can be described as sweet and tangy, [[citrus]]y with peach flavor and texture.
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The Purple Mangosteen belongs to the same [[genus]] as the other — less widely known — [[Garcinia|mangosteens]], such as the [[Button Mangosteen]] (''G. prainiana'') or the [[Lemondrop Mangosteen]] (''G. madruno'').
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{{Inc|
 
{{Inc|
Mangosteen (Fig. 2321), Garcinia Mangoslana (which see), is a handsome fruit-tree 25 to 30 feet high, of compact growth, regular in outline, with dense, dark green foliage which reminds one slightly of the rubber tree. It grows slowly and comes into fruit late, not before eight or nine years of age. Its flowers are 1 ½  inches across with four rose-pink fleshy petals and a large superior ovary. In Ceylon the trees bloom twice, once in August, producing fruits which ripen in January, and again in January, producing fruits in July and August. In Trinidad the fruiting seasons are July and October. The January crop in Ceylon is a light one, however, not amounting to over 100 fruits to a tree, whereas the August crop amounts in good years to 500 or 600 fruits, according to Wright, of Mirigama, Ceylon. The fruits are borne from buds produced near the tips of short branches mainly on the outside of the tree, and are striking by reason of their persistent large leathery light green calyx-lobes.
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Mangosteen, Garcinia Mangoslana (which see), is a handsome fruit-tree 25 to 30 feet high, of compact growth, regular in outline, with dense, dark green foliage which reminds one slightly of the rubber tree. It grows slowly and comes into fruit late, not before eight or nine years of age. Its flowers are 1 ½  inches across with four rose-pink fleshy petals and a large superior ovary. In Ceylon the trees bloom twice, once in August, producing fruits which ripen in January, and again in January, producing fruits in July and August. In Trinidad the fruiting seasons are July and October. The January crop in Ceylon is a light one, however, not amounting to over 100 fruits to a tree, whereas the August crop amounts in good years to 500 or 600 fruits, according to Wright, of Mirigama, Ceylon. The fruits are borne from buds produced near the tips of short branches mainly on the outside of the tree, and are striking by reason of their persistent large leathery light green calyx-lobes.
  
 
This delicious fruit is about the size of a mandarin orange, round and slightly flattened at each end, with a smooth, thick rind, rich red-purple in color, with here and there a bright, hardened drop of the yellow juice which marks some injury to the rind when it was young. As these mangosteens are sold in the Dutch East Indies,—heaped up on fruit-baskets, or made into long regular punches with thin strips of braided bamboo,—they are as strikingly handsome as anything of the kind could well be, but it is only when the fruit is opened that its real beauty is seen. The rind is thick and tough and in order to get at the pulp inside, it requires a circular cut with a sharp knife to lift the top half off like a cap, exposing the white segments, five, six or seven in number, lying loose in the cup. The cut surface of the rind is of a most delicate pink color and is studded with small yellow points formed by the drops of exuding juice. As one lifts out of this cup, one by one, the delicate segments, which are the size and shape of those of a mandarin orange, the light pink sides of the cup and the veins of white and yellow embedded in it are visible. The separate segments are between snow-white and ivory in color and are covered with a delicate net- work of fibers, and the side of each segment where it presses against its neighbor is translucent and slightly tinged with pale green. The texture of the mangosteen pulp much resembles that of a well-ripened plum, only it is so delicate that it melts in the mouth like a bit of ice-cream. The flavor is quite indescribably delicious. There is nothing to mar the perfection of this fruit, unless it be that the juice from the rind forms an indelible stain on a white napkin. Even the seeds are partly or wholly lacking and when present, are very thin and small.
 
This delicious fruit is about the size of a mandarin orange, round and slightly flattened at each end, with a smooth, thick rind, rich red-purple in color, with here and there a bright, hardened drop of the yellow juice which marks some injury to the rind when it was young. As these mangosteens are sold in the Dutch East Indies,—heaped up on fruit-baskets, or made into long regular punches with thin strips of braided bamboo,—they are as strikingly handsome as anything of the kind could well be, but it is only when the fruit is opened that its real beauty is seen. The rind is thick and tough and in order to get at the pulp inside, it requires a circular cut with a sharp knife to lift the top half off like a cap, exposing the white segments, five, six or seven in number, lying loose in the cup. The cut surface of the rind is of a most delicate pink color and is studded with small yellow points formed by the drops of exuding juice. As one lifts out of this cup, one by one, the delicate segments, which are the size and shape of those of a mandarin orange, the light pink sides of the cup and the veins of white and yellow embedded in it are visible. The separate segments are between snow-white and ivory in color and are covered with a delicate net- work of fibers, and the side of each segment where it presses against its neighbor is translucent and slightly tinged with pale green. The texture of the mangosteen pulp much resembles that of a well-ripened plum, only it is so delicate that it melts in the mouth like a bit of ice-cream. The flavor is quite indescribably delicious. There is nothing to mar the perfection of this fruit, unless it be that the juice from the rind forms an indelible stain on a white napkin. Even the seeds are partly or wholly lacking and when present, are very thin and small.
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{{Taxobox
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==Cultivation==
| color = lightgreen
 
| name = Mangosteen
 
| image = Mangosteen.jpeg
 
| image_width = 250px
 
| image_caption = Mangosteen fruit
 
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
 
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
 
| ordo = [[Malpighiales]]
 
| familia = [[Clusiaceae]]
 
| genus = ''[[Garcinia]]''
 
| species = '''''G. mangostana'''''
 
| binomial = ''Garcinia mangostana''
 
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
 
}}
 
The '''mangosteen''' ('''''[[Garcinia]] mangostana''''') is a [[tropical]] [[evergreen]] [[tree]], believed to have originated in the [[Sunda Islands]] and the [[Moluccas]]. The tree grows from 7 to 25 meters tall. The rind ([[exocarp]]) of the edible [[fruit]] is deep reddish purple when [[Ripening|ripe]]. Botanically an [[aril]], the fragrant edible flesh is sweet and creamy, [[citrus]]y with some peach flavor.  Mangosteen is closely related to other edible tropical fruits such as [[Button Mangosteen|button mangosteen]] and [[Lemon Drop Mangosteen|lemondrop mangosteen]].
 
 
 
===Maturation of the exocarp and edible aril===
 
The juvenile mangosteen fruit, which does not require [[fertilization]] to form (see [[agamospermy]]), first appears as pale green or almost white in the shade of the [[canopy]]. As the fruit enlarges over the next two to three months, the [[exocarp]] color deepens to darker green. During this period, the fruit increases in size until its exocarp is 6–8 centimeters in outside diameter, remaining hard until a final, abrupt [[ripening]] stage.
 
 
 
The subsurface chemistry of the mangosteen exocarp comprises an array of [[polyphenol]]ic acids including [[xanthones]] and [[tannins]] that assure [[astringency]] to discourage [[infestation]] by insects, fungi, [[plant virus]]es, bacteria and animal predation while the fruit is immature. Color changes and softening of the exocarp are natural processes of [[ripening]] that indicates the fruit can be eaten and the seeds are finished developing. <ref>http://www.hort.wisc.edu/usdavcru/simon/publications/97hort0012.html</ref>
 
 
 
Mangosteen produces a [[recalcitrant seed]], i.e., perishable, short-lived and must be kept moist to remain viable until [[germination]]. Technically [[nucellar]] in origin and not the result of [[fertilization]], mangosteen seeds germinate as soon as they are removed from the fruit and die quickly if allowed to dry.<ref>http://mangosteen.com/Sciencenonscienceandnonsense.htm</ref>
 
 
 
Once the developing mangosteen fruit has stopped expanding, [[chlorophyll]] synthesis slows as the next color phase begins. Initially streaked with red, the exocarp [[pigmentation]] transitions from green to red to dark purple, indicating a final ripening stage. This entire process takes place over a period of ten days as the edible quality of the fruit peaks.
 
 
 
The edible [[endocarp]] of the mangosteen is botanically defined as an [[aril]] with the same shape and size as a [[tangerine]] 4&ndash;6 centimeters in diameter, but is white. The circle of wedge-shaped arils contains 4&ndash;8 segments, the larger ones harboring [[apomictic]] seeds that are unpalatable unless roasted. On the bottom of the exocarp, raised ridges (remnants of the [[stigma]]), arranged like spokes of a wheel, correspond to the number of aril sections.<ref>[http://mangosteen.com/FruitPicturesPageone.htm mangosteen photo (mangosteen.com)]</ref> Mangosteens reach fruit-bearing in as little as 5&ndash;6 years, but more typically require 8&ndash;10 years. <ref>http://mangosteen.com/Sciencenonscienceandnonsense.htm</ref>
 
 
 
==Nutrient content and antioxidant strength==
 
Mangosteen is typically advertised and marketed as part of an emerging category of novel [[functional foods]] sometimes called "[[superfruit]]s" <ref>http://naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/07mar12feat3.html</ref> <ref>http://ffnmag.com/ASP/articleDisplay.asp?strArticleId=1284&strSite=FFNSite&Screen=HOME</ref> <ref>http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=71664-cspi-ftc-super-fruits</ref> presumed to have a combination of 1) appealing subjective characteristics, such as taste, fragrance and visual qualities, 2) [[nutrient]] richness, 3) [[antioxidant]] strength and 4) potential impact for lowering risk against human diseases.
 
  
When analyzed specifically for its edible [[aril]], mangosteen meets only the first criterion above, as its overall nutrient profile is absent of important content<ref>http://mangosteen.com/Sciencenonscienceandnonsense.htm</ref>, it contains no [[pigmentation]] (correspondingly, no antioxidant phytochemicals in significant concentration) and there is no scientific evidence of aril constituents having any health properties.<ref>http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=17613&zoneid=43</ref>
 
  
Should [[purée]] or juice from the arils be infused with [[exocarp]] phenolic extracts, mangosteen juice adopts the purple color and [[astringency]] of its exocarp pigments.  It is usually balanced for taste with sweeteners possibly requiring juices from other fruits.
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===Propagation===
  
==Legend, geographic origins and culinary applications==
 
There is a story, possibly [[apocrypha]]l, about Queen Victoria offering a cash reward to anyone who could deliver to her the fabled fruit. <ref>http://mangosteen.com/historyandfolklore.htm</ref> Mangosteens are readily available canned and frozen in Western countries.
 
  
Without [[fumigation]] or irradiation as whole fruit, mangosteens have been illegal for importation in commercial volumes into the [[United States]] due to fears that they harbor the Asian [[Tephritidae|fruit fly]] which would endanger U.S. crops. This situation, however, officially changed  on July 23, 2007 when irradiated imports from [[Thailand]] were allowed upon [[USDA]] approval of irradiation, packing and shipping techniques. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/dining/27frui.html</ref>
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===Pests and diseases===
  
For the period since 2006 to present, private small volume orders from fruits grown on [[Puerto Rico]] are being filled for American gourmet restaurants who serve the aril pieces as a delicacy dessert. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/dining/09mang.html?ex=1312776000&en=0d1a76f2087e406d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss.</ref> Beginning in 2007 for the first time, fresh mangosteens are also being sold for as high as $45 per  pound from specialty produce stores in New York City. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/dining/08mang.html</ref>
 
  
Products derived from the mangosteen are legally imported into the United States, such as juices, freeze-dried fruit and [[nutritional supplements]]. The fresh fruit is also available in [[Australia]], [[Singapore]], [[Thailand]], [[Malaysia]], [[Vietnam]], [[Indonesia]], [[Colombia]], the [[Philippines]], Sri Lanka and [[Chinatown]]s in several Canadian cities.
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==Varieties==
  
Mangosteen is cultivated and sold on some Hawaiian islands, although presently not exported to the continental United States where it is banned as an insect host. However, Hawaiian growers are working with a Honolulu irradiation facility for future export to the United States mainland.  Mangosteen is grown in [[Central Africa]], particularly the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] where it is a popular delicacy. An ultra-tropical tree, the mangosteen must be grown in consistently warm conditions, as exposure to temperatures below 40°F (4°C) will generally kill a mature plant.
 
[[Image:Mangosteen3.jpg|thumb|left|285px]]
 
  
Before ripening, the mangosteen shell is fibrous and firm, but becomes soft and easy to pry open when the fruit ripens. To open a mangosteen, the shell is usually broken apart by scoring it with a knife; one holds the fruit in both hands, prying gently with the thumbs until the rind cracks. It is then easy to pull the halves apart along the crack and remove the fruit, taking care with the purple, inky exocarp juice containing pigments that are an avid dye on skin and fabric.
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==Gallery==
  
== See also ==
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<gallery perrow=5>
{{Commons|Mangosteen}}
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File:Mangosteen closeup.JPG
{{wiktionary|mangosteen}}
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File:THE MANGUSTIN FRUIT, Garcinia mangostana.jpg
* [[Mangostin]] - one of the [[xanthone]]s in the mangosteen but only present in the inedible [[exocarp]].
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Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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Image:Upload.png| photo 2
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Image:Upload.png| photo 3
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</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
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<references/>
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
===Further reading===
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==External links==
* [http://mangosteen.com Mangosteen Technical Homepage: Science, Nutrients, History, Horticulture, Folklore]
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*{{wplink}}
* [http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=17613&zoneid=43 Is Mangosteen a Superfruit? Nutrient and Antioxidant Properties]
 
* [http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/pl_act.xsql?taxon=1228 Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, Garcinia mangostana  L., Clusiaceae ]
 
*''Five Decades with Tropical Fruit, A Personal Journey'' (2001) by William Francis Whitman
 
* [http://www.montosogardens.com/garcinia_mangostana.htm MontosoGardens.com - Garcinia mangostana (Clusi aceae)]
 
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mangosteen.html Morton, J. 1987. Mangosteen. p. 301–304. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.]
 
* [http://www.proscitech.com.au/trop/d.htm ProSciTech.com.au - Mangosteens]
 
* [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mangosteen/AN01197 Mayo Clinic report on mangosteen]
 
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/dining/09mang.html?ex=1312776000&en=0d1a76f2087e406d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss "Forbidden? Not the Mangosteen" - NYTimes ]
 
* [http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/30/32/30_32mangle.html "I paid $11 for this strange fruit — and I’d do it again!", Gersh Kuntzman ''The Brooklyn Paper'', August 18, 2007]
 
* [http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/07/31/national/national_30043072.php "Mangosteen price too low: farmers", ''The Nation'', July 31, 2007]
 
*[http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mangosteen/AN01197 MayoClinic.com. Mangosteen juice: can it relieve arthritis pain? October 10, 2007]
 
  
[[Category:Clusiaceae]]
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{{stub}}
[[Category:Fruit]]
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__NOTOC__
[[Category:Flora of Indonesia]]
 
[[Category:Vietnamese cuisine]]
 
[[Category:Thai cuisine]]
 

Latest revision as of 18:54, 30 December 2009


Upload.png


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Lifespan: perennial
Origin: Indonesia
Cultivation
Features: evergreen
Scientific Names

Garcinia >

mangostana >


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The Purple Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), colloquially known simply as "the mangosteen", is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia. The tree grows from 7 to 25 m (20–80 ft) tall. The rind (exocarp) of the edible fruit is deep reddish purple when ripe. Botanically an aril, the fragrant edible flesh can be described as sweet and tangy, citrusy with peach flavor and texture.

The Purple Mangosteen belongs to the same genus as the other — less widely known — mangosteens, such as the Button Mangosteen (G. prainiana) or the Lemondrop Mangosteen (G. madruno).


Read about Mangosteen in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Mangosteen, Garcinia Mangoslana (which see), is a handsome fruit-tree 25 to 30 feet high, of compact growth, regular in outline, with dense, dark green foliage which reminds one slightly of the rubber tree. It grows slowly and comes into fruit late, not before eight or nine years of age. Its flowers are 1 ½ inches across with four rose-pink fleshy petals and a large superior ovary. In Ceylon the trees bloom twice, once in August, producing fruits which ripen in January, and again in January, producing fruits in July and August. In Trinidad the fruiting seasons are July and October. The January crop in Ceylon is a light one, however, not amounting to over 100 fruits to a tree, whereas the August crop amounts in good years to 500 or 600 fruits, according to Wright, of Mirigama, Ceylon. The fruits are borne from buds produced near the tips of short branches mainly on the outside of the tree, and are striking by reason of their persistent large leathery light green calyx-lobes.

This delicious fruit is about the size of a mandarin orange, round and slightly flattened at each end, with a smooth, thick rind, rich red-purple in color, with here and there a bright, hardened drop of the yellow juice which marks some injury to the rind when it was young. As these mangosteens are sold in the Dutch East Indies,—heaped up on fruit-baskets, or made into long regular punches with thin strips of braided bamboo,—they are as strikingly handsome as anything of the kind could well be, but it is only when the fruit is opened that its real beauty is seen. The rind is thick and tough and in order to get at the pulp inside, it requires a circular cut with a sharp knife to lift the top half off like a cap, exposing the white segments, five, six or seven in number, lying loose in the cup. The cut surface of the rind is of a most delicate pink color and is studded with small yellow points formed by the drops of exuding juice. As one lifts out of this cup, one by one, the delicate segments, which are the size and shape of those of a mandarin orange, the light pink sides of the cup and the veins of white and yellow embedded in it are visible. The separate segments are between snow-white and ivory in color and are covered with a delicate net- work of fibers, and the side of each segment where it presses against its neighbor is translucent and slightly tinged with pale green. The texture of the mangosteen pulp much resembles that of a well-ripened plum, only it is so delicate that it melts in the mouth like a bit of ice-cream. The flavor is quite indescribably delicious. There is nothing to mar the perfection of this fruit, unless it be that the juice from the rind forms an indelible stain on a white napkin. Even the seeds are partly or wholly lacking and when present, are very thin and small.

Notwithstanding the fact that it has for at least two generations been called the "queen of fruits" and that Queen Victoria offered a prize of ten pounds for the first fruits which should be brought to her from India, there appears to be nowhere in existence what would be called a large orchard of mangosteens. It is hard to understand why the culture of so delicious a fruit as the 'mangosteen should not have been better understood by horticulturists.

In the Dutch East Indies, Java and Sumatra in particular, it is planted by the natives in their kampongs as a dooryard tree. In Malacca and the Straits Settlements there are a few small orchard plantings owned chiefly by the Chinese. In Burliar Gardens in the Nilgiri Hills of Madras Presidency, British India, a few trees are growing. The native chiefs of the Sulu Archipelago have scattered plantings of mangosteen trees. A few small plantings have been made in Ceylon, notably a small orchard at Mirigama. Father D'Adran, a noted Bishop of Cochin-China, established an orchard of 300 to 400 trees at Lai Thiou not far from Saigon. Trees of it have grown and fruited in the Botanic Gardens of Jamaica, Trinidad, Dominica, and probably elsewhere in the West Indies, and single specimens have borne a few fruits on Kauai and Maui Islands of the Hawaiian group. The seeds from these successful trees have furnished hundreds of young plants for small plantations which will soon come into bearing.

The reason for this very inadequate distribution of so remarkable a domesticated fruit-tree seems to lie in the difficulty which the young plants seem to have in establishing themselves. If the seedlings are not shaded, the first pair of young leaves is generally injured and the plants stunted or even killed outright. It is thought that horticulturists do not yet understand the root-system of the magnosteen and that when it is understood, a vast extension of the culture of this fruit will take place. This may come about through the use of stocks which are less particular in their soil-requirements. Geo. Oliver's experiments have proved that the mangosteen can be successfully inarched upon a number of the related species of the same genus. On Garcinia xanthochymus, which is a much more vigorous tree and grows on many types of soil, and is apparently quite at home in Hawaii, Natal, Madeira, Cuba, and many other localities in the subtropics it seems to grow successfully. As 169 species of garcinias have already been described, the probability is great of finding a suitable stock for the mangosteen. The best orchards of mangosteen in Ceylon and Singapore have been established on soils characterized by a high clay content, combined with a large percentage of coarse material, with a very small amount of silt, and upon locations where the water-table comes to within 6 feet of the surface. The impression is current that the mangosteen requires a wet but well-drained soil and a very humid atmosphere. While the former statement appears to be true, the latter is not so, for the tree which has fruited on the Island of Kauai is in a dry but irrigated part of that island, with only 6 inches of rainfall, where it has to be irrigated twice a month. The diseases of the mangosteen are not yet known. It is likely to have its own specific diseases, and when transplanted to new environments, may be attacked by new parasites. Fruits are frequently found with drops of yellow gamboge inside which make them unpalatable, but whether this is really a disease or merely the result of external bruises, caused by the fruits being knocked about by heavy winds when nearly mature, will have to be determined by experiment.

Although the mangosteen is a very delicate fruit, it has an exceedingly thick tough rind, and on this account it is likely to be a good shipper. Fruits which were sent in cold storage to Washington from Trinidad were excellent when eaten twenty-one days later, even though they had then been out of cold storage over a week. The fact that when one of a shipment of fruits decays, its rind hardens instead of becoming soft, is an important point in its favor.

Just how much cold the mangosteen can stand has not yet been determined. Repeated attempts to grow it in Florida and California have failed, although, for that matter, many attempts in the tropics have been unsuccessful. The limited experience which horticulturists have had with it seems to indicate that it will not stand frost. It is apparently a strictly tropical tree, moisture-loving and more or less shade-tolerant when young, adapted to regions of heavy rainfall: Porto Rico and Panama are unquestionably excellent places in which to experiment with its culture.

When one considers that so far no selection of varieties of the mangosteen has been made, notwithstanding the fact that practically seedless fruits are of frequent occurrence, and further that the tree belongs to a large genus of fruit-bearing trees, at least fifteen of which are known to bear edible fruit, some of them as large as small melons, and that these are scattered in Australia, the Malay region, South China, Africa, Brazil, and Central America, some of them being able to withstand light frosts, it becomes evident that in the development and breeding of the mangosteen and in the discovery of a suitable stock for it, there lies a most promising field for horticultural research.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Varieties

Gallery

References

External links