Botanical Name:
General Description/History:
- When mature, thick skin is reddish purple/black 80-180g in weight
- External skin is rich in tannic acid
- Flesh is white/pink and juicy
- 4-5 segments 1-2 seeds
- Delicate, sweet, slightly acid flavour
The mangosteen is a broad-leafed evergreen tree that can reach a height of 12-20m. Choose blemish free, dark purple-black fruit that gives to gentle pressure. The ripe mangosteen is dark red and tastes best if it has been harvested before fuming purple or blue-black. It does not ripen further once harvested.
Unlike many other tropical fruit, which have a somewhat musky flavour (a liking for which often has to be acquired), the mangosteen appeals to almost everyone.
Use as a fresh fruit, enjoy straight from the hand or incorporate into fruit salads or fruit drinks.
To open the fruit, cut through the skin only, and lightly pull and twist the fruit apart. Experienced mangosteen eaters use their thumb to pry out the dried flower parts and then break the fruit open. The seeds can be boiled or roasted and eaten.
The Mangosteen tree grows best in a wet, tropical climate and preferably within 20° north and/or south of the Equator, with minimum temperatures of not less than 5°C.
From seed, trees are slow growing and as a result plants commence bearing in 9-12 years if grown under ideal conditions and up to 20 years under poor conditions. In North Queensland, top grafted plants have fruited in one or two years.
Ideal soil type is a moisture-holding clay loam with a high organic content. The tree is intolerant of frost and has a high water requirement throughout the growth cycle except prior to flowering.
The large, greenish-yellow flowers tinged with red emerge singly or in pairs on the older, more hidden branches. Trees normally flower twice, with the first usually occurring after a dry season and before monsoonal rains whilst the second flowering usually occurs at the end of the first crop. The fruit contains up to three “seeds”, composed of reproductive female flesh, which would still germinate when cut apart. Flowering normally takes place both in January and July/August.
The (purple) mangosteen originated in Malaysia and Sumatra. Limited numbers are grown in Australia with a few hobby farms found around North Queensland. Commercially it has been popular in South-east Asia, India and to some extent in Central America. The mangosteen is renowned as the Queen to all tropical fruits.
Alternative Names:
Manggis
Purple Mangosteen
Varieties:
Yellow Mangosteen - Description:
- Round with flattened ends, the size of a mandarin
- When mature, thick skin is deep yellow 80-180g in weight
- External skin is rich in tannic acid
- Flesh is yellow and juicy
- 4-5 segments 1-2 seeds
- Delicate, sweet, slightly acid flavour
Growing Areas:
QLD - Tropical North
NT - Darwin
Nutritional Value:
Mangosteen is an excellent source of fibre and a moderate source of vitamin C.
Storage/Handling:
15°C and 85 - 95% relative humidity. Refrigeration does cause cold damage. To minimise this, wrap fruit in newspaper and store it in the upper part of the refrigerator, but away from the cooling coils. The fruit can be frozen whole.
Consumer Storage: Ripen at room temperature and store in the refrigerator for a short time.
