Granite garcinia, Granite mangosteen

A tropical plant. It grows in high rainfall savannah woodland in Uganda. It grows in both wet and dry regions. It grows near the edges of forests along rivers. In Zimbabwe it grows between 920-1,820 m above sea level. In Tanzania it grows from sea level to 1,800 m above sea level and in areas with a rainfall between 800-1,800 mm. It grows well on sandy loams.

Also known as:

Amasarasi, Atenum, Kasolyo, Mgobwe, Miduma, Museka, Musela, Mutunduru, Nsaali, Umusalasi, Unsongwa

Edible Portion

Fruit, Seeds

Where does Granite garcinia grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: The fruit has a high vitamin C content. There are about 300 Garcinia species.

Growing Granite garcinia, Granite mangosteen

Cultivation: Plants grow naturally from seed. They can be grown from seeds and it is best to put them in nursery pots then transplant. To collect seed, ripe fruit are put in a cool place for the flesh to rot away then dried in the sun before separating the seed. The seed should be soaked overnight before sowing to break the seed coat. Seed should be sown fresh. They can be stored for 2 months in a cool place.

Edible Uses: The fruit are eaten raw. The seeds are baked and eaten. Fruit are used to make wine.

Production: In Uganda flowers occur in December to January and fruit in January to April. In Zimbabwe fruit are ready from November to January. In Tanzania fruit are collected from April to June. Fruit are harvested by climbing the tree.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Iron (mg)	Vitamin A (ug)	Vitamin c (mg)	Zinc (mg)	% Water
	-	-	-	-	-	-

References

Agea, J. G., et al 2011, Wild and Semi-wild Food Plants of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom of Uganda: etc. Environmental Research Journal 5(2) 74-86

Bigirimana, C., et al, 2016, Utilisation of Indigenous Fruit Tree Species within the Lake Victoria Basin, Rwanda. Agricultural Science: An International Journal. (AGRIJ) Vol. 1, No. 1

Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1894:354. 1894

Drummond, R. B., 1981, Common Trees of the Central Watershed Woodlands of Zimbabwe, National Herbarium Salisbury. p 150

Godfrey, J. et al, 2013, Harvesting, preparationand preservation of commonly consumed wild and semi-wild food plants in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, Uganda. Int. J. Med. Arom. Plants. Vol.3 No.2 pp 262-282

Goode, P., 1989, Edible Plants of Uganda. FAO p 27

http://www.fao.org/forestry/25323-096344a3de335832e8f363c3ac5184a66.pdf

Katende, A.B., Birnie, A & Tengnas B., 1995, Useful Trees and Shrubs for Uganda. Identification, Propagation and Management for Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Technical handbook No 10. Regional Soil Conservation Unit, Nairobi, Kenya. p 336

Lovett, J. C. et al, Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. p 65

Maundu, P. et al, 1999, Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. National Museum of Kenya. 288p

Mangambu Mokoso Jean De Dieu, et al, 2015, Etudes ethnobotanique et ethnolinguistique des ressources forestieres ligneuses utilisees par la population du coulour Ecologique du Parc National de Kahuzi-biega (R. D. Congo). European Journal of Scientific Research May 2015.

Mpasiwakomu, R. A., 2017, The Diversity and Utilization of Wild Edible and Medicinal Plant Species found in Uvinza Miombo Woodlands, Tanzania. M. Sc. thesis University of Tanzania.

Msola, D. K., 2007, The role of Wild Foods in Household Income and Food Security in Mufundi District, Tanzania. Morogoro, Tanzania. p 44

Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 613

Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 83

Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 340

Tredgold, M.H., 1986, Food Plants of Zimbabwe. Mambo Press. p 103

World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew