Garcinia binucao
Garcinia binucao, commonly known as binukaw or batuan, is a species of Garcinia native to the Philippines and Vietnam. It is not cultivated, though its edible fruits are harvested from the wild for use as a souring agent in some Filipino dishes.
Garcinia binucao | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Clusiaceae |
Genus: | Garcinia |
Species: | G. binucao |
Binomial name | |
Garcinia binucao (Blanco) Choisy | |
Synonyms[1] | |
|
Taxonomy
Binukaw belongs to the genus Garcinia (the mangosteens) of the family Clusiaceae. The first description of the correct name of the species is attributed to the French botanist Jacques Denys Choisy in Description des guttifères de l'Inde (1849) based on the basionym Cambogia binucao from the Spanish friar and botanist Francisco Manuel Blanco in Flora de Filipinas in 1837. It was also described from Vietnam as Garcinia duodecandra by the French botanist Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre in Flore Forestiere de la Cochinchine (v. 28, 1883).[1][2]
The plant is known as binukaw (also spelled binucao, binukau, or bilukaw) in Tagalog, and batuan in Visayan languages. Other names include Ilocano balakut, Bikol buragris, and Panay Visayan haras.[3] The common names are sometimes shared with other similar Garcinia species in the Philippines like Garcinia morella.
Description
Binukaw is an evergreen tree growing to a maximum height of around 25 m (82 ft) with a trunk around 40 cm (16 in) in diameter. The leaves are oblong to obovate around 5 to 12 cm (2.0 to 4.7 in) long and 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) wide. The flowers are reddish to creamy white in color. The fruits are round berries, around 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter with a juicy pulp and numerous seeds.[3][4]
Distribution
Binukaw is native to the Philippines and Vietnam.[2]
Culinary
The sour fruits are edible and can be eaten raw. They are also commonly used as a souring agent in traditional Filipino dishes like sinigang.[5][6]
Conservation
The species is becoming rare due to illegal logging and deforestation for agriculture.[4]
See also
References
- "Garcinia binucao (Blanco) Choisy". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 April 2019 – via The Plant List.
- Mansfeld, Rudolf (2001). Mansfeld's Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops Volume 1. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1356. ISBN 9783540410171.
- "Garcinia binucao (PROSEA)". Pl@ntUse. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- Fern, Ken. "Garcinia binucao". Tropical Plants Database. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- Ragasa, Consolacion Y.; Torres, Oscar B.; Marasigan, Elizabeth; Shen, Chien-Chang (2014). "Sterols and triglyceride from the fruit of Garcinia binucao". Der Pharma Chemica. 6 (6): 229–232.
- "The Souring Agents of Sinigang". Our Philippine Trees. Retrieved 17 April 2019.