Skip to main content

Asam gelugur (Garcinia atroviridis)

Dlium Asam gelugur (Garcinia atroviridis)

Asam gelugur (Garcinia atroviridis) is a plant species in the Clusiaceae family. It is a woody, taprooted tree with a large, tall canopy—reaching heights of up to 30 meters and a spread of up to 8 meters. Female flowers typically appear singly on a stalk, while male flowers occur in clusters on a single stalk.

G. atroviridis produces round, segmented fruit that is green when young and turns yellow upon ripening. The fruit measures 7–15 cm in diameter and weighs approximately 300 grams. The number of segments corresponds to the number of seeds, although many of these are pseudo-seeds (non-viable). The seeds are dicotyledonous and encased in a gelatinous substance; they lack a dormancy period.

The tree grows at elevations ranging from 5 to 1,700 meters, with 400–1,200 meters being the ideal range. It thrives in diverse soil types—including sandy, clay, rocky, and calcareous soils, as well as in the damp ground along riverbanks and even in degraded soils on mountain slopes. The tree bears fruit year-round; it is not uncommon for a single tree to simultaneously hold flowers, developing ovaries, young fruit, and ripe fruit.

The plant is used to produce *asam potong* (dried fruit slices)—prepared by slicing the fruit and sun-drying it. These slices are utilized as a culinary seasoning, a flavoring for beverages, and an ingredient in traditional medicines and cosmetics. When stored at low temperatures, the dried fruit slices can remain viable for up to two years.

Coastal Sumatera communities process the fruit into a candied treat. In North Sumatra, the fruit is used to impart a tart or astringent quality to soups, curries, stews, and boiled dishes.

When administered orally to mice at a dosage of 360 mg/kg, an extract derived from the leaves has been shown to inhibit the development of Plasmodium berghei, the parasite responsible for malaria.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Clusiaceae
Tribe: Garcinieae
Genus: Garcinia L. in Sp. Pl.: 443 (1753)
Species: Garcinia atroviridis Griff. ex T.Anderson in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 266 (1874)

PUBLICATIONS

Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS Genera starting with letter G: 1-40325.

Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.

Mohanan, N., Shemeer, P.S. & Sabu, T. (2023). Taxonomic revision of Garcinia (Clusiaceae) in India. Rheedea 33: 101-158.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 酸黄果 - 亚参果
Chinese (traditional): 酸黃果 - 亞參果
English: Asam gelugur
Indonesia: Asam gelugur, Asam gelugor, Asam gelugo, Gelugur, Gelugor, Gelugo
Java: Gelugur
Malaysia: Asam Gelugur, Asam, Gelugor
Minangkabau: Asam keping
Singapore: Asam gelugur Thai: ส้มแขก

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar (Amanita javanica)

OPINION - Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar ( Amanita javanica ) is a mysterious fungus species and has been enigmatic since it was first reported by Boedijn in 1951 and after that no explanation or reporting of specimens is believed to be the same as expected. Boedijn (1951) described A. javanica which grew on Java island as having the characteristics covered in the Amanita genus. Corner and Bas in 1962 tried to describe Javan mocca and all species in Amanita based on specimens in Singapore. Over time some reports say that they have found A. javanica specimens in other Southeast Asia including also China, Japan, India and Nepal. But there is no definitive knowledge and many doubt whether the specimen is the same as described by Boedijn (1951). I was fortunate to have seen this species one afternoon and soon I took out a camera for some shots. In fact, I've only met this mushroom species once. Javan mocca is an endangered species and I have never seen in my experience in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Awar awar (Ficus septica)

Awar-awar or lagnob or hauli tree or barabar or sirih popar or tobo tobo ( Ficus septica ) is species of plants in Moraceae, trees grow in bushes or in neglected places and sap contained in roots, twigs, leaves and fruit is used to treat poisoning and digestive problems. F. septica is usually 1-5 m high, although in the forest it can be up to 25 m. Round, hollow and bare branches. Roots, twigs, leaves and fruit will emit a yellow sap and sticky if injured. The base of the leaves is large and spiky, arranged alternately or face to face with a stem length of 2.5-5 cm. Large leaf blade, round egg, 9-30x9-16 cm, rounded base and blunt narrow tip, flat-edged, upper side dark green with 6-12 secondary bones pale white. Fruit paired, single or clustered up to 4 items, short-stemmed, at the base has 3 protective leaves, light green or gray green and 1.5 cm in diameter. F. septica is food for 22 animal species including wasps, bats, birds, monkeys and mice as well as seed dispersing vecto...
Post a Comment
Read more