Herb. No. 228 · Clusiaceae
Sunda origin; a wet-tropics fruit from Malaysia to the Caribbean, badly suited to shipping.
Native · Southeast Asia
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Mangosteen
Garcinia mangostana
The white-segmented fruit under a purple shell — a Malay dessert, not a bottled ‘superfruit’ rind.
Mangosteen is a slow Southeast Asian tree. Traditional use is as the snow-white inner segments. Culinary ripe flesh is the path. The leathery purple rind stains and has an old astringent use; extract marketing of the pericarp outran the fruit. Queen of fruits is a stall name, like durian’s king. They bruise and spoil; eat soon.
Flavor
Lychee-peach, clean, a little floral acid. A spoiled one is fermented and sad.
Parts used
Ripe inner segments
Helpful
- A true perfume when sound
- The shell is a bowl
Cautions
- The rind is not a capsule
- Bruises in transit
- A slow, fussy tree