Garcinia talbotii
| Talbot garcinia (Garcinia talbotii) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific name | Garcinia talbotii [1][2] |
| Common names | Talbot garcinia, phansada, tavir |
| Genus | Garcinia |
| Family | Clusiaceae |
| Order | Malpighiales |
| Habit | Tree of semi-evergreen to evergreen Western Ghats forest |
| Fruit | Globose, greenish-yellow when mature; usually 1–3 seeds [3][4] |
Garcinia talbotii is a tree native to the Western Ghats of India. It is dioecious, and its globose fruits develop yellow latex and turn greenish-yellow as they mature. The species has a regional culinary role: the sour pulp is used like tamarind, and fruits are also prepared as pickles or sherbet. [1][3][4]
Description[edit | edit source]
The species is associated with semi-evergreen and evergreen forest in the Western Ghats. It is described as a medium-sized tree with globose fruit and yellow latex. Mature fruit is greenish-yellow, and sampled fruits contained one to three seeds. [1][3][4]
Fruit size varies among sampled populations. A Maharashtra sample averaged 46.3 ± 9.03 g, 4.3 ± 0.3 cm long and 4.1 ± 0.3 cm broad; a Sirsi, Karnataka characterization measured 4.06 ± 0.08 cm long, 3.73 ± 0.12 cm broad and 42.00 ± 0.05 g. These are population-level measurements, not fixed limits for every tree. [3][5]
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
The native setting is semi-evergreen to evergreen Western Ghats forest, where a tree experiences a pronounced rainy season. For cultivation, a moisture-retentive root zone with reliable drainage is a defensible starting point; this is an ecological inference rather than a measured irrigation or soil trial for G. talbotii. Avoid treating the seasonal-rainfall association as permission for prolonged stagnant wetness. [1][3]
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
A forest-origin plant should be started in bright filtered light with humid, moving air, then exposed more fully only after steady growth is established. This light and humidity approach is a cautious habitat-based inference, not a quantified shade or full-sun requirement. Protection from drying winds is especially reasonable while a young plant is establishing. [1]
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
Seasonal timing differs by locality. A Sirsi field characterization records flowering from November to January and fruiting from February to April, while a Maharashtra fruit study places fruit production in the rainy season. In cultivation, keep the root zone consistently supplied during active growth and interpret flowering and harvest against local rainfall rather than a single fixed calendar. [5][3]
Propagation[edit | edit source]
The fruit contains one to three seeds, making seed the directly documented sexual propagule. Because the species is dioecious, a seedling cannot be assumed to be fruit-bearing: a productive planting needs a female tree and access to pollen from a male tree. The age at which seedlings express sex or begin bearing has not been quantified here, so early seedlings should be retained with their collection provenance. [3][4]
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
Garcinia talbotii is dioecious. Female flowers can develop into the globose fruits described for the species, while male plants are needed to supply pollen; a single unsexed seedling is therefore not a reliable plan for fruit production. [3]
At Sirsi, flowering was recorded from November through January and fruiting from February through April. A separate fruit-rind study describes fruit production in the rainy season, indicating regional variation rather than one universal harvest window. Harvest fruit as it reaches the greenish-yellow mature color described for sampled material, while checking softness and flavor on the individual tree. [5][3]
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
The fruit has sweet pulp and yellow latex. Sampled fruit was about 4–5 cm in its largest dimensions and contained one to three seeds. A Sirsi sample measured 18.50 ± 0.15 °Brix; that soluble-solids value belongs to the sampled population and should not be treated as a universal species reading. [3][4][5]
The sour pulp is used as a tamarind substitute in curries. Regional food uses also include pickles and sherbet. Laboratory studies of rind and fruit extracts measured phenolics, antioxidant activity and cell responses; those assays do not establish human medicinal benefit, cancer treatment, toxicity or food-safety conclusions. [3][4]
Photos[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ [2] On the Correct Identity and Distribution of Garcinia talbotii in Western Ghats, India. Shameer, P. S.; Mohanan, N. (2020), Indian Forester 146(3):272–275. DOI 10.36808/if/2020/v146i3/152444.
- ↑ [3] Antioxidant Activities and Phenolics Contents of Garcinia talbotii Fruit Rind. Kureshi, A.; Mirgal, A.; Salvi, S.; et al. (2020), Research Journal of Medicinal Plants 14:104–110. DOI 10.3923/rjmp.2020.104.110.
- ↑ [4] Phenolic fingerprint, proximate analysis and nutraceutical effects of Garcinia talbotii, an under-utilized functional food endemic to Western Ghats. (2023), Food Bioscience, article 102894. DOI 10.1016/j.fbio.2023.102894.
- ↑ [5] Diversity and characterization of edible future fruits of Uttara Kannada and Nilgiris of the Western Ghats in South India. Hospet, R.; Devarajan, T. (2019), Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture 63(1):175–188.
Image credits[edit | edit source]
- Garcinia talbotii tree and globose berry: Wikimedia Commons file page, photograph by Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA; attribution: Yercaud-elango / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA.
- Garcinia talbotii tree with yellowish bark and round berry: Wikimedia Commons file page, photograph by Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA; attribution: Yercaud-elango / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA.
