In South East Asia the fruit is known as Fruit of God because of health benefits and delicious taste of fruits.
The place of origin of the mangosteen is unknown but is believed to be in Malay Archipelago or the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas.
Mangosteen is native to Malaysia. The wild species of mangosteen are found in Malaysia and India. Mangosteen is derived from G. silvestris Boerl, a species also found growing in both countries.
However, there was also a study that indicated that Peninsular Malaysia was probably the area of origin due to original parent having possibly arisen as and hybrid G. hombroniana and G malleccensis.
There was a suggestion that the tree may have been first domesticated was done in Thailand and Burma. It is much cultivated in Thailand–where there were 9,700 acres (4,000 ha) in 1965–also in Kampuchea, southern Vietnam and Burma, throughout Malaysia and Singapore.
The mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) was named after the French explorer Laurent Garcia (1683-1751) and has been in cultivation for a considerable time in various parts of humid tropics.
The tree was planted in Ceylon about 1800 and in India in 1881.
It is rare in Queensland, where it has been tried many times since 1854, and poorly represented in tropical Africa (Zanzibar, Ghana, Gabon and Liberia). There were fruiting trees in greenhouses in England in 1855.
The plants reached Puerto Rico in 1903 and by 1906 seeds were received in the United States Department of Agriculture also but survival of seedlings was very poor.
The mangosteen is gaining popularity in the international market and recent demands for exported fruit have prompted growers to consider this crop with renewed interest.
Fruit of mangosteen
