Garcinia picrorhiza (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Garcinia picrorhiza Miquel

Family: Guttiferae

• Indonesia: obat sageru lemon, sesoot (Ambon).

Indonesia (Moluccas, Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea.

Split pieces of the roots, known locally as "obat saguer", are used to give a more bitter and astringent taste to palm wine. This practice also seems to extend the keeping quality of the wine. The wood is fine, hard and durable; stems have been used locally for house posts.

• A large tree with yellowish latex and terete young twigs.
• Leaves opposite, without stipules; blade oblong to elliptical-oblong or lanceolate, 11-12 cm × 3-3.5 cm, obtuse at apex, with about 60 parallel secondary veins.
• Female flowers in an axillary raceme of cymes, 5-7 per axil, 4-merous; pedicel 3-4 mm long; sepals orbicular, about 2 mm long; stamens in fascicles; ovary superior, 2-locular with 1 ovule per cell, stigma short, discoid, entire.
• Fruit a cylindrical berry, 15 mm × 8 mm, 1-2-seeded.

G. picrorhiza is found in montane forest. G. picrorhiza may have been misidentified in the past; reports on its use may actually refer to G. sizygiifolia Pierre.

30, 40, 53, 61.

M.S.M. Sosef