MANGOSTEEN TREE

MANGOSTEEN TREE

The place of origin of the mangosteen tree is unknown and some people claimed it to be the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas, while others say it was in the forests of Kemaman, Malaysia. It was suggested the tree might have been domesticated in Thailand and also in Burma, Malaysia and Singapore. The tree was planted in Ceylon about 1800 and in India in 1881. The tree is also fairly common in the Philippines and introduced to England in 1855. From the Kew Garden, England which is called by its proper name, the  Royal Botanic Garden introduced it into Trinidad between 1850 and 1860 but it did not bear fruit until 1075. It takes a long time before the tree bears fruit. It was not until 1903 that it reached the Panama Canal Zone. There are some trees scattered in parts of the West Indies.

Mangosteen Tree Facts: The mangosteen tree is very slow-growing, erect, with a pyramidal crown. It grows 20 to 82 ft (6-25 m) in height and has dark-brown or nearly black, flaking bark. The Mangosteen  tree bark contains yellow, gummy, bitter latex. The evergreen's short-stalked leaves are ovate-oblong or elliptic, leathery and thick. The mangosteen tree leaves are dark-green and slightly glossy on top while being yellowish-green and dull beneath. In terms of shape, the mangosteen’s trees leaves are 3 1/2 to 10 in (9-25 cm) long, 1 3/4 to 4 in (4.5-10 cm) wide, with conspicuous, pale midribs: new leaves are rosy. The flowers are 1 1/2 to 2 in (4-5 cm) wide and fleshy. They may be male or hermaphroditic leaves on the same mangosteen tree. The former are in clusters of 3-9 at the branch tips. Each flower has 4 sepals and 4 ovate: thick, fleshy petals that are green with red spots on the outside and yellowish-red on the inside. The flowers possess many stamens though the aborted anthers bare no pollen. The hermaphroditic flowers are found alone or in pairs at the tips of young branchlets. Their petals may be yellowish-green, edged with red or mostly red, and are quickly shed. The mangosteen tree fruit, capped by the prominent calyx at the stem end is round, 1 1/3 to 3 in (3.4-7.5 cm) in diameter, dark-purple to red-purple and smooth on the outside. The mangosteen tree fruit rind is 1/4 to 3/8 in (6-10 mm) thick, red in cross-section and purplish-white on the inside. The mangosteen tree fruit contains bitter yellow latex and a purple, staining juice. There are 4 to 8 triangular segments of snow-white, juicy, soft flesh (actually the arils of the seeds). The mangosteen tree fruit may be seedless or have 1 to 5 fully developed seeds which are ovoid-oblong, somewhat flattened, 1 in (2.5 cm) long and 5/8 in (1.6 cm) wide clinging to the flesh. The mangosteen tree fruit flesh is slightly acidic with a flavor that ranges from mild to intense: The mangosteen tree fruit flesh is acclaimed as exquisitely luscious and delicious the world over.

The mangosteen tree is found predominantly in Southeast Asia in countries like China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Philippines.  There has been attempts to grow them in the US but it has not been successful.   In Hawaii, the tree has not acclimatized and is rare in those islands. Neither has it been successful in California. The soil and climate in Florida is very unfavorable. Some plants have been grown for a time in containers in greenhouses. One tree, protected and grown in special soil lived to produce a single fruit before succumbing to winter cold.The mangosteen is ultra-tropical and cannot tolerate temperatures below 40º F (4.44º C), nor above 100º F (37.78º C). Seedlings are killed at 45º F (7.22º C).It is limited in Malaya to elevations below 1,500 ft (450 m);  In Madras it grows from 250 to 5,000 ft (76-1,500 m) above sea-level; and attempts to establish it north of 200 latitude have failed.

Mangosteen ordinarily requires high atmospheric humidity and an annual rainfall of 50 inches (127 cm) and no long periods of drought. In Dominica, mangosteens growing in an area having 80 inches (200 cm) of rain yearly required special care, but another locality with 105 inches (255 cm) and better moisture- holding soil capacity, flourished.Mangosteen is not adapted to limestone and requires deep, rich organic soil, especially sandy loam or laterite. In India, the most productive specimens are on clay containing coarse material and a little silt. Sandy alluvial soils are not suitable for the mangosteen tree and sand low in humus contributes to the tree's low yields. Mangosteen needs good drainage and the water table ought to be about 6 ft (1.8 m) below ground level. The mangosteen must be sheltered from strong winds and salt spray.Technically, the so-called "seeds" are not true seeds but adventitious embryos, or hypocotyl tubercles, inasmuch as there has been no sexual fertilization.  Some of the seeds are polyembryonic, producing more than one shoot. The individual nucellar embryos can be separated, if desired, before planting.Inasmuch as the percentage of germination is directly related to the weight of the seed, only plump, fully developed seeds should be chosen for planting. Even these will lose viability in 5 days after removal from the fruit, though they are viable for 3 to 5 weeks in the fruit. Soaking in water for 24 hours expedites and enhances the rate of germination. Generally, sprouting occurs in 20 to 22 days and is complete in 43 days.The young plants take 2 years or more to reach a height of 12 in (30 cm).  Fruiting may take place in 7 to 9 years from planting but usually not for 10 or even 20 years.

Some of the most fruitful mangosteen trees are growing on the banks of streams, lakes, ponds or canals where the roots are almost constantly wet. However, dry weather just before blooming time and during flowering induces a good fruit-set. Where a moist planting site is not available, irrigation ditches should be dug to make it possible to maintain an adequate water supply and the trees are irrigated almost daily during the dry season.In Malaya and Ceylon, it is a common practice to spread a mulch of coconut husks or fronds to retain moisture. A 16-in (40-cm) mulch of grass restored trees that had begun dehydrating in Liberia. It has been suggested that small inner branches be pruned from old, unproductive trees to stimulate bearing. In Thailand, the tree is said to take 12 to 20 years to fruit. In Panama and Puerto Rico trees grown from large seed and given good culture have borne in six years.

Medicinal Uses: Dried fruits are shipped from Singapore to Calcutta and to China for medicinal use. The sliced and dried rind is powdered and administered to overcome dysentery. Made into an ointment, it is applied on eczema and other skin disorders. The rind decoction is taken to relieve diarrhea and cystitis, gonorrhea and gleet and is applied externally as an astringent lotion. A portion of the rind is steeped in water overnight and the infusion given as a remedy for chronic diarrhea in adults and children. Filipinos employ a decoction of the leaves and bark as a febrifuge and to treat thrush, diarrhea, dysentery and urinary disorders. In Malaya, an infusion of the leaves, combined with unripe banana and a little benzoin is applied to the wound of circumcision. A root decoction is taken to regulate menstruation. A bark extract called "amibiasine", has been marketed for the treatment of amoebic dysentery

                                                                    Prof. John Kurakar