Garcinia rubra — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The acidic fruits are eaten raw.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. They occur in the Philippines from northern Luzon to northern Mindanao in primary forest at low altitudes.

Asia, Pacific, Philippines*, SE Asia,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A small tree. It grows 10 m tall. The trunk is 15 cm across. The leaves are 6-12 cm long. The leaves are opposite, thin and pointed at both ends. The flowers are small, bright red and borne in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit are 3 cm across somewhat rounded but flattened and yellowish to red. They are fleshy and acidic.

How to Grow

The tree can flower all year round.

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.

Production

It flowers year round.

Notes

There are about 300 Garcinia species.

References (4)

Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 122
Monsalud, M.R., Tongacan, A.L., Lopez, F.R., & Lagrimas, M.Q., 1966, Edible Wild Plants in Philippine Forests. Philippine Journal of Science. p 479
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South East Asia) handbook, Volume 2, 1991, Edible fruits and nuts.
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew