Garcinia mestonii
F. M. Bailey
Meston’s mangosteen
(c) Evert Materman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Evert Materman
(c) Evert Materman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Evert Materman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
Fruit - a pleasant flavour. Very juicy, with a sharp, acid, pleasant flavour. The fruit is about the size of an orange.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It suits highland tropical and subtropical locations. It needs well drained soil. It grows naturally in rainforest in NE Queensland in Australia. It grows from sea level to 1400 m altitude.
Australia*,
How to Identify
A tall shrub. It grows 4-6 m high and spreads 1-3 m wide. The branches droop. The leaves are 6-7.5 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide. They are narrow and sword shaped. They are dark green and glossy with wavy edges. The tips are long and drawn out. The leaf stalks are slender and 1-1.5 cm long. The flowering cluster is in the axils of leaves. It is densely branched. The flowers are white and about 8 mm across. They have a scent.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seeds. The seeds need to be sown fresh.
Propagation: Seed - we have no specific information on this species, but the seed of most members of the genus can be slow to germinate, even if sown fresh, often taking 6 months or more.
Other Uses
The plant is sometimes used as a rootstock for the mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana.
Other Information
The fruit is high quality.
Notes
There are about 300 Garcinia species.
References (7)
- Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 485
- Cherikoff V. & Isaacs, J., The Bush Food Handbook. How to gather, grow, process and cook Australian Wild Foods. Ti Tree Press, Australia p 200
- Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 123
- Cribb, A.B. & J.W., 1976, Wild Food in Australia, Fontana. p 36
- Elliot, W.R., & Jones, D.L., 1992, Encyclopedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. Vol 4. Lothian. p 331
- Jones D, L, 1986, Ornamental Rainforest Plants in Australia, Reed Books, p 12, 340
- Rep. Exped. Bellender-Ker 31. 1889
