Synonyms: 

Brindonia indica Thou.

Garcinia purpurea Roxb.

Systematic Position

Kingdom:  Plantae

Phylum: Tracheophyta

Order: Malpighiales Juss. ex Bercht. & J. Presl

Family: Clusiaceae Lindl.

Native: Indigenous to the Western Ghats region of India

Common Names

English – Brindonia Tallow Tree

Malayalam – കൊക്കം

Description: 

It is a slow-growing tree, to heights of up to 10m with a slim, low-branching trunk supporting a densely leafy pyramidal crown. The bark is dark grey or dark brown, scaly, rough. Leaves are lance-shaped or elongated-oval, 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) long, crimson red and soft when they emerge, becoming dark glossy green with a leather texture. Arranged in opposite phyllotaxy along stems.

Flowers are small with fleshy, waxy pink petals and with female and male flowers on separate trees. They are borne directly on the stems, singly or in clusters of up to four and bloom in the dry winter season. The female trees produce small round fruit, 3 to 4 cm in diameter. The fruit are green when young, become dark purple-red when ripe and have a thick rind that encloses soft, juicy pulp embedded with six to eight kidney-shaped seed.

Habitat: Evergreen tree

Distribution:  Endemic to the Western Ghats.

Uses: Various parts of the tree including its fruit, seeds, and bark, have been traditionally used for culinary, medicinal, and industrial purposes. The seed yield 25 to 35% of an edible, white or pale-yellow buttery fat known as ‘Kokum Butter’. It is produced by grinding, steaming and then pressing the seed to release the fat, which is then filtered and churned into a solid buttery mass. The leftover seed cake is high in protein and is used mainly as an ingredient in livestock feed.