February 14, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
141 
The Garcinias and Their Uses. 
By John R. Jackson, A.L.S., etc. (late Keeper of the 
Museums, Royal Gardens, Kew). 
The genus Gareinia, which includes about fifty species of 
trees distributed over tropical Asia, Africa, and Polynesia— 
the largest proportion of which are found in India—has con¬ 
siderable interest attached to it other than that of bein<r the 
source of several well-known stove' plants, for the genus has 
the reputation of furnishing one of the best, if not the very 
best, of all tropical fruits ; indeed, it is said by some writers 
that the Mangosteen (Gareinia Mangostana) is one of the most 
delicious fruits in the world. Many of the species of Gareinia 
are also remarkable for yielding the yellow colouring matter 
known as gamboge—a product distinct from any other sub¬ 
stance in the vegetable kingdom ; and in this connection it 
(Lillian G. Jackson.) 
Feuit of Gaf.cinia Mangostana. 
may be worth while to note the curious coincidence that in the 
species best known in cultivation the flowers themselves are 
yellow. 
A few details on one or two of the most important economic 
species may perchance add to the interest of the plants 
amongst those who have them or allied species in cultivation. 
In so considering them, the Mangosteen stands first, not so 
much, perhaps, for its commercial value, in comparison with 
other species, as for its popularity. It is, as is well known, an 
evergreen tree, native of the Straits, but cultivated in British 
Burundi and India for the sake of its fruits, chiefly in southern 
Tenasserim and Madras. It has also been introduced into the 
West Indies and other places. The flowers of this species are 
red, and the fruits, which are about the size of an ordinary 
Orange, are reddish-brown externally, showing a bright crimson 
section. It has a very thick, succulent astringent rind, and 
contains from four to' twelve large seeds, each surrounded with 
a white, fleshy and juicy aril, having a sweet, acidulous, and 
refreshing taste and a. delicate odour. In its native country 
the fruit is in perfection in May and June. They are sent in 
large quantities, both fresh and dried, from the Straits into 
India, and are sold in the streets of Calcutta, though it is. said 
that the fruits of Achras Sapota, are frequently substituted for 
them to such purchasers as know no better. The dried rind 
of the fruit is used medicinally in diarrhoea and dysentery. 
A very inferior kind of gamboge is also furnished by this 
species, but apparently in such small quantities as to be un¬ 
important. 
By far the most important product of the genus Gareinia 
is gamboge, which, as we have before said, is found more or 
less in most of the species. The bulk, however, and the best 
quality are obtained from Gareinia Morelia, a species bearing- 
yellowish flowers and small globular fruits about the size of 
a Morelia Cherry, from which character its specific name is 
obtained. It is a small evergreen tree from 30 ft, to 50 ft. 
high, native of Ceylon, Siam, Malacca, Singapore, and India. 
Siam not only furnishes the largest quantity, but also the best- 
quality. 
Gamboge, considered generally as an article of trade, is a 
substance of a very mixed character. As a matter of fact, the 
yellow juice is contained in all parts of the plants, such as 
stems, barks, leaves, fruits and seeds, and when it exudes 
naturally from fissures or cracks it carries with it all sorts of 
impurities, as pieces of the bark itself, twigs, broken leaves, 
etc. The best quality—namely, the roll or pipe gamboge of 
commerce which is imported into Europe from Singapore, 
Bangkok, and Saigon, and is the produce of Siam, Cambodia, 
and the southern parts of Cochin China-—is collected by making 
a spiral incision around the trunk, as shown in the drawing. 
A hollow joint- of bamboo is next placed below the incision into 
which the yellow fluid trickles. When full, it is removed and 
allowed to harden in the bamboo, which is afterwards split off, 
leaving the substance in a roll of cylinder form, and forming 
what is known in trade as pipe or roll gamboge. Sometimes 
it is partially hollow; hence the term pipe, but mostly it is 
in the form of a solid roll or stick marked on the outside 
with longitudinal lines, being the impression of the inside of the 
bamboos. The rolls are very frequently agglutinated together, 
caused by several pieces adhering together while the substance 
is still soft. As this gum dies it becomes brittle and shows on 
fracture a smooth, opaque, glistening surface of a deep yellow 
colour, but sometimes with a reddish tinge. As an illustration 
of the slow process of collecting gamboge, we may say that 
the average quantity collected from one tree during a season 
is sufficient only to fill three of these bamboo joints, each of 
(Lillian G. Jackson.) 
Gamboge (Gakcinia Moeella). 
1. Flowering branch. 2. Fruits. 3. Portion of trunk incised for 
collecting Gamboge 
which measures 20 in. long by 1-1 in. diameter. The lump or 
inferior quality gamboge is formed by collecting the juice in 
cocoanut shells or vessels of a similar character. As before 
said, impurities are thus often carried into the vessels by 
accident, while, on the other hand, much of it seems to be 
systematically adulterated with sand, rice-flour, fragments of 
wood, and other substances. The best- time for collecting the 
