Purple mangosteen | |
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Illustration from Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java 1863–1864 by Berthe Hoola van Nooten (Pieter De Pannemaeker lithographer) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Clusiaceae |
Genus: | Garcinia |
Species: | G. mangostana |
Binomial name | |
Garcinia mangostana L. |
Purple mangosteen fruit exterior and in cross-section
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Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
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Energy | 305 kJ (73 kcal) |
17.91 g
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Dietary fiber | 1.8 g |
0.58 g
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0.41 g
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Vitamins | |
Thiamine (B1) |
(5%)
0.054 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) |
(5%)
0.054 mg |
Niacin (B3) |
(2%)
0.286 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(1%)
0.032 mg |
Vitamin B6 |
(1%)
0.018 mg |
Folate (B9) |
(8%)
31 μg |
Vitamin C |
(3%)
2.9 mg |
Minerals | |
Calcium |
(1%)
12 mg |
Iron |
(2%)
0.3 mg |
Magnesium |
(4%)
13 mg |
Manganese |
(5%)
0.102 mg |
Phosphorus |
(1%)
8 mg |
Potassium |
(1%)
48 mg |
Sodium |
(0%)
7 mg |
Zinc |
(2%)
0.21 mg |
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Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
The purple mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), colloquially known simply as mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia. It grows mainly in Southeast Asia, southwest India and other tropical areas such as Puerto Rico and Florida, where the tree has been introduced. The tree grows from 6 to 25 m (19.7 to 82.0 ft) tall. The fruit of the mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous, with fluid-filled vesicles (like the flesh of citrus fruits), with an inedible, deep reddish-purple colored rind (exocarp) when ripe. In each fruit, the fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is botanically endocarp, i.e., the inner layer of the ovary. Seeds are almond-shaped and sized.
The purple mangosteen belongs to the same genus as the other, less widely known, mangosteens, such as the button mangosteen (G. prainiana) or the charichuelo (G. madruno).
Mangosteen is a native plant to Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia. Highly valued for its juicy, delicate texture and slightly sweet and sour flavour, the mangosteen has been cultivated in Java, Sumatra, Mainland Southeast Asia, and the Philippines since ancient times. The 15th-century Chinese record Yingyai Shenglan described mangosteen as mang-chi-shih (derived from Javanese manggis), a native plant of Java of white flesh with delectable sweet and sour taste.