Garcinia talbotii

Garcinia talbotii
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. talbotii
Binomial name
Garcinia talbotii Raizada ex Santapau.

Garcinia talbotii is a large tree in the family Clusiaceae and is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.^[2] The tree has yellow latex, and can attain a height of 25 m and girth up to 2.2 m.^[3] This species was first reported from Gairsoppah Ghats in North Kanara of Karanataka district.^[4]

Description

The leaves of this tree are simple and opposite. The petiole length is about 0.5-2 cm and lamina size range is 7-15 × 3-7 cm. The leaf shape can be considered as elliptic or ovate. Twelve to fifteen pairs of parallel secondary nerves can be seen on the leaves. Flowers are yellow, dioecious, and seen in axillary clusters. Fruits are globose, smooth, and 5 cm in diameter.^[3]

Distribution

This is a common sub-canopy tree seen throughout the low and medium elevation evergreen forests. It's found at elevations of 250-1100 m.^[3] In India, it is distributed across Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra districts^[5]

Reproduction

This is a dioecious tree with separate male and female plants. The flowering and fruiting of this tree occurs between January and June.^[5] Pollination is entomophilous, or cleistogamy, or allogamy.^{[citation needed]}

Uses

The fruits of this species are edible and are used in curries. It also yields an inferior quality yellow gum that is used in folk medicine.^[6]

References

1. Deepu, S. & Geethakumary, M.P. (2020). "Garcinia talbotii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T169575075A169589545. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
2. "Herbarium JCB". flora-peninsula-indica.ces.iisc.ac.in. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
3. Page, Navendu (2017). Endemic Woody Plants of the Western Ghats. Bangalore: Trail Blazer Printers and Publishers. ISBN 978-93-5279-072-2.
4. Raizada.1960. In: Santapau H. Flora of Khandala. Records of the Botanical Survey of India. 14 (1), 14.
5. "Taxonomic identity and occurrence of Garcinia spicata and G. talbotii (Clusiaceae) in peninsular India". Rheedea. 27 (2). 31 December 2017. doi:10.22244/rheedea.2017.27.2.28. ISSN 0971-2313.
6. Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India. Kailash, B. R., ATREE, Bangalore, India. Royal Norwegian Embassy grants. Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India.