Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), also known as the purple mangosteen,[2]
is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to tropical lands
surrounding the Indian Ocean. Its origin is uncertain due to widespread
prehistoric cultivation.[3][4] It grows mainly in Southeast Asia,
southwest India and other tropical areas such as Colombia and Puerto
Rico,[3][5][6] where the tree has been introduced. The fruit of the
mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous, with fluid-filled
vesicles (like the flesh of citrus fruits), with an inedible, deep
reddish-purple colored rind (exocarp) when ripe.[3][5] In each fruit, the
fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is botanically endocarp,
i.e., the inner layer of the ovary.[7][8] The seeds are of similar size
and shape to almonds.