Garcinia cowa Roxb. ex DC. var. cowa
publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2023.33.03.01 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E5C231-6E6B-C504-12A6-4D35F7051755 |
treatment provided by |
Felipe |
scientific name |
Garcinia cowa Roxb. ex DC. var. cowa |
status |
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Garcinia cowa Roxb. ex DC. var. cowa View in CoL FiGS. 5 View FiG & 6a–c View FiG
Dioecious evergreen trees, 9–18 m tall; exudation yellow; branches horizontally spreading; branchlets terete. Petioles 0.8–1.3 cm long, slender, adaxially ligulate at base; lamina broadly lanceolate, 8–13 × 2.5–7 cm, cuneate at base, entire on margins, acute at apex, sub-coriaceous; midrib flattened abaxially, prominent adaxially; lateral veins 12–16 pairs, obliquely parallel, not conspicuous; exudate canals conspicuous on both surfaces. Staminate flowers tetramerous, 3–8, fascicled, axillary or terminal, 1–1.3 × 1–1.5 cm; pedicels 0.5–0.7 cm long; sepals broadly ovate, 0.3–0.4 × 0.5–0.6 cm, margins membranous; petals yellow with a red tinge, imbricate, oblong, 0.7–0.8 × 0.8–1 cm; stamens 50 or more on tetragonous convex fleshy receptacle, anthers reddish; rudimentary pistil absent. Pistillate flowers tetramerous, 2–3, fascicled, terminal, 1.8–2 × 1.5–2 cm, pedicels 0.5–0.6 cm long; sepals and petals similar to staminate flowers; staminodes 3–8, in 4-phalanges around the ovary; ovary 0.3–0.5 cm in diam., sub-globose, 6–8-locular, stigma sessile, flat, deeply divided into 6–8 wedge-shaped rays, papillose. Berries globose, 2–4 × 2.5–4 cm, depressed, dark yellow, vertically 4–6-grooved from base to apex, non-mamillate, pericarp thin. Seeds 4–8, oblong, 1–1.25 × 0.8–1cm, in pulpy aril.
Vernacular names: Kau-thekera, Kaugach (Assamese): Kowa, Kau, Duffla, Blachung-Changne ; (Bengali): Tekra, Rengram (Garo); Kattaphal (Hindi); Sarbana (Orissa); Kau (Manipuri and Naga): The Cowa fruit, The Cowa mangosteen (English).
Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from February to March; fruiting from April to July.
Habitat: Fairly common in evergreen, semi-evergreen and tropical forests, up to 1200 m elevation.
Distribution: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Thailand.
Specimens examined: INDIA, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, South Andaman district, 1890,
King’s coll. s.n. ( CAL [ CAL47066 About CAL ]); Dhanikharihill jungle, 22.04.1892 , King’s coll. ( CAL); Rangat Bay , May 1915 , C. E. Parkinson 580 ( CAL); Mt. Harriet , 11.02.2016 , P. S. Shameer 86609 ( TBGT); Shoal Bay-18, 13.02.2016 , P. S. Shameer 86613 ( TBGT); Shoal Bay-16, 13.02.2016 , P. S. Shameer 86614 ( TBGT); Nayashahr Reserve Forest , 16.02.2016 , P. S. Shameer 86619 & 86620 ( TBGT); North and Middle Andaman district, Saddle Peak , 20.02.2016 , P. S. Shameer 86624 ( TBGT). Assam, Cachar district , August 1903 , Shaik Mokim s.n. ( ASSAM); Tupidhar , 04.04.1940 , R. N. De 19258 ( ASSAM); Jorhat district, Seebsagar , 30.04.1885 , C. B. Clarke 38037 ( CAL); Kamrup district, Andherijuli , 13.04.1915 , U. N. Kanjilal 5463 ( ASSAM); Chhaygaon , 05. 04.1915 U. N. Kanjilal 5427 ( ASSAM); Lukikhas forest about 2 miles south of Singra , 26.06.1964 , A. K. Rao 39129 ( ASSAM); Ranigodam , June 1898 , Prain’s coll. s.n. ( CAL); Karimganj district, Longai Resreve forest , 28.03.1932 , P. C. Kanjilal 10123 ( ASSAM); Ibid. , 01.06.1932 , P. C. Kanjilal 10245 ( ASSAM); Kokrajhar District, Chakrasila , 11.07.2008 , Ranjit Dainmary 117864 ( ASSAM). Sivasagar district, Amgori , 22.04.1895 , s.coll. 11174 ( CAL); Jorhat , 30.04.1885 , C. B. Clarke 38037 ( CAL); Sivasagar, 1891, S. E. Peal, s.n. ( CAL). Bihar, Madhubani district, Majhaura , 305-365 m, 07.05.1947 , H. F. Mooney 2868 ( DD). Meghalaya, Singbhum Garo Hill district, 35 km, Dalu Road , 22.03.1915 , U. N. Kanjilal 5276 ( CAL, DD); United Khasi & Jaintia Hills District, Khasi hills, 07.10.1886 , C. B. Clarke 45150D ( CAL); Khasi Hills , April 1877 , s. coll. 248 ( ASSAM); Tharia forest , 03.07.1940 , G. K. Deka 19604 ( ASSAM); Umtewswaqr Forest , 07.07. 1935 . S. R. Sharma 12207 ( ASSAM). Mizoram, Kolasib district, Kawnpai , 31.01.1962 , A. B. Arb 2733 ( ASSAM). Nagaland, Naga Hill district , May 1899 , Prain’s coll. 100010 ( CAL). Odisha, Angul district, Athmallik , near river, 26.02.1917 , H. H. Haines 4711 ( CAL); Kendujhar district, Bangura 04.07.1957 , G. Panigrahi 8651 ( ASSAM). West Bengal, Alipurduar district, Rajbhatkawa , 24.03.1932 , A. H. Khan s.n. ( DD); Buxa Division , 152 m, 24.03.1931 , A. E. Osmaston s.n. ( DD); Jalpaiguri district Apalchand, Kathambari , 24.04.1962 , S. K. Mukerji 5516 ( CAL); Kalabari, Darrang , April 1914 , U. N. Kanjilal 3726 ( CAL, DD). Uttarakhand, Dehradun district, cultivated, s.d., M. B. Raizada s.n. ( DD). BANGLADESH, Chittagong Hill Track , 03.03.1876 , J. L. Lister 331 ( CAL); s.loc. 06.03.1876 , J. L. Lister 150 ( CAL); s.loc. April 1887 , King’s coll. 325 ( CAL); s.loc. February 1886 , King’s coll. 572 ( CAL); MYANMAR, Rangoon, March 1911 , A. Meebold 14029 ( CAL); Ibid., s.d., A. Meebold 14080 ( CAL); Inoun district , 22.02.1915 , C. E. Parkinson 81 ( CAL); s.loc., February 1991 , Shaik Mokim 449 ( CAL). SINGAPORE, Alor Star, Kedah, 1937, Tungku Yacob 32770 ( CAL). THAILAND: Siam , 17.04.1910 , A. F. G. Kerr 1124 ( CAL) .
Conservation status: Least Concern ( IUCN 2020).
Uses: The species yield an inferior yellow dye. The ripe fruits are edible. The sliced fruits are sun dried and preserved in Assam and used against dysentery ( Maheshwari, 1964).
Typification: Garcinia cowa was validly published by Candolle (1824), based on Roxb. Cat. p. 42, 1814. In the protologue, it is mentioned that ‘India’ is the ‘type locality’, but no specimens were cited. Subsequently, Roxburgh (1832) in Flora India indicated ‘Chittagong’ as the locality. Maheshwari (1964) designated ‘Roxburgh, Chittagong, East Pakistan (Herb. Martius, BR) as type. We could locate 3 herbarium specimens at BR, all collected by Roxburgh, but without any collection numbers (BR0000006915667, BR0000005108138, BR0000006912420) and labelled with country of origin as India. Since there are 3 specimens and Maheshwari did not specifically designate a single specimen as type, Maheshwari’s typification is considered as the first step, and we select the best specimen among them, Roxburgh s.n. (BR0000005108138) as a second step lectotype here and other two specimens as isolectotypes.
CAL |
Botanical Survey of India |
C |
University of Copenhagen |
E |
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |
P |
Museum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN) - Vascular Plants |
S |
Department of Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History |
TBGT |
Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute |
ASSAM |
Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional Centre |
R |
Departamento de Geologia, Universidad de Chile |
N |
Nanjing University |
B |
Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Zentraleinrichtung der Freien Universitaet |
U |
Nationaal Herbarium Nederland |
A |
Harvard University - Arnold Arboretum |
K |
Royal Botanic Gardens |
H |
University of Helsinki |
F |
Field Museum of Natural History, Botany Department |
DD |
Forest Research Institute, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education |
G |
Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève |
M |
Botanische Staatssammlung München |
J |
University of the Witwatersrand |
L |
Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Leiden University branch |
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.