Synonyms: 

Rheedia intermedia

Systematic Position

Kingdom:  Plantae

Phylum: Angiosperms

Order: Malpighiales

Family: Clusiaceae

Native:  Asia, America, Australia, tropical and southern Africa

Common Names

English – Lemon drop mangosteen

Malayalam – ബറാബ

Description: 

The tree is an evergreen species and may reach heights of up to 30m in native forests, though under garden conditions is more typically 5-10m tall with a straight, slim trunk supporting a densely branched pyramidal crown. The bark is dark brown, smooth, and when wounded, exudes a sticky, yellowish sap. The leaves are oblong, 6-13cm long, emerge bright red, become dark glossy green with light green undersides and have a thick, leathery feel. They are arranged in pairs along the ends of the branches. The flowers are four-petaled, green-white to white, 1.5-2cm long, male or bisexual on the same plant, and bloom in the dry season, coinciding with winter in its native range. Fruits are small round or egg-shaped, 2.5-3cm in diameter. They ripen around three to four months after fruit-set, becoming deep orange or pale yellow. The skin is thin, leathery and easily peeled, exposing one to two largish seed with thin, whitish pulp.

Habitat:  Warm, humid forests and near the coast.

Distribution: Cultivated sporadically throughout the tropics.

.Uses: The fruit has medicinal properties; it is rich in benzophenones, which prevent colon cancer cells. The fruit has higher antioxidant capacity than the fruit of the mangosteen.