Garcinia forbesii

Garcinia forbesii, commonly known as the rose kandis or kandis, is a small to medium-sized tree in the family Clusiaceae (Guttiferae).^[2] The specific epithet (forbesii) honors Scottish naturalist Henry Ogg Forbes.^[3]

Garcinia forbesii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Clusiaceae
Genus:	Garcinia
Species:	G. forbesii
Binomial name
Garcinia forbesii King (1890)

Distribution

Garcinia forbesii is found in Southeast Asia and is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and southern Thailand.^[4]

Description

The tree rarely exceeds 20 feet (6.1 meters) in height domestically but has been recorded at heights of nearly 60 feet (18 meters) in the wild and produces a round, smooth, small fruit which is red to white in color and has edible arils,^[5] which have been described as being similar to mangosteen in flavor. The trunk is straight and the foliage is dense, often concealing the trunk with branches appearing relatively close to the ground. It is a dioecious species with leathery, elliptically shaped evergreen leaves, and a yellow latex is produced in the inner bark of the tree. The pungent flowers are nocturnal and four-petaled, and in males are crimson in color and occur in clusters while in females are red or orange and occur solitarily. They are insect-pollinated. It grows in forests up to 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) in elevation and is hardy to USDA zone 11.^[3][6]

Chemistry

Several xanthones have been isolated from the branches of Garcinia forbesii: known compounds pyranojacareubin, 1,3,7-trihydroxy-23-methylbut-2-enyl-xanthone and lichexanthone,^[7] as well as a new chromenoxanthone, forbexanthone.^[8]

Uses

The fruit is sometimes gathered and eaten raw.

Conservation status

In Singapore, the species is listed as critically endangered.^[3]

See also

• List of Garcinia species

References

1. Ganesan, S.; Low, Y.W.; Mustaqim, W.A; Sam, Y.Y.; Yong Sze Yee, W. (2023). "Garcinia forbesii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T224979007A224979009. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T224979007A224979009.en. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
2. Lim, T. K. (2012). "Garcinia forbesii". Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. pp. 41–44. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1764-0_6. ISBN 978-94-007-1763-3. S2CID 254011584.
3. "Garcinia forbesii". Flora Fauna Web. Singapore National Parks.
4. "Garcinia forbesii King". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
5. "Rose Kandis Fruit Tree (garcinia forbesii)". urbantropicals.com.
6. "Garcinia forbesii 4x4x10 inch tree pot". store.hawaiiantropicalplants.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
7. Wairata, Johanis; Sukandar, Edwin Risky; Fadlan, Arif; Purnomo, Adi Setyo; Taher, Muhammad; Ersam, Taslim (2021). "Evaluation of the antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antiplasmodial activities of xanthones isolated from Garcinia forbesii and their in silico studies". Biomedicines. 9 (10): 1380. doi:10.3390/biomedicines9101380. PMC 8533219. PMID 34680496.
8. Harrison, Leslie J.; Leong, Lup-San; Sia, Guat-Lee; Sim, Keng-Yeow; Tan, Hugh T. -W. (18 June 1993). "Xanthones from Garcinia forbesii". Phytochemistry. 33 (3): 727–728. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(93)85486-B. ISSN 0031-9422. Retrieved 18 February 2021.