Garcinia

Garcinia
Garcinia subelliptica, the fukugi tree
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Clusiaceae
Tribe:	Garcinieae
Genus:	Garcinia L.
Species
See list of Garcinia species
Synonyms
Brindonia Thouars Biwaldia Scop. Brindonia Thouars Cambogia L. Clusianthemum Vieill. Coddampulli Adans. Discostigma Hassk. Hebradendron Graham Koddampuli Adans. Lamprophyllum Miers Magostan Adans. Mangostana Gaertn. Ochrocarpos Noronha ex Thouars (Ochrocarpus was an orthographic variant) Oxycarpus Lour. Pentaphalangium Warb. Rheedia L. Septogarcinia Kosterm. Stalagmites Spreng. Stalagmitis Murray Terpnophyllum Thwaites Tripetalum K.Schum. Tsimatimia Jum. & H.Perrier Verticillaria Ruiz & Pav. Xanthochymus Roxb.

Garcinia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, America, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is disputed; Plants of the World Online (POWO) recognise up to 400.^[1] Commonly, the plants in this genus are called saptrees, mangosteens (which may also refer specifically to Garcinia mangostana), or garcinias, and is one of several plants known as by the name "monkey fruit".

Many species are threatened by habitat destruction, and at least one species, G. cadelliana, from South Andaman Island, is almost or even completely extinct already.^[2]

The fruits are a food source for several animals, such as the archduke butterflies (Lexias spp.) of tropical eastern Asia which relish the sap of overripe mangosteens.

The genus is named after French botanist Laurent Garcin (1683–1751).^[3]