Mangosteen is an exotic fruit

Mangosteen is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. Mangosteen can be found in the Philippines, in Vietnam and in Hawaii among a few countries. The tree grows from 7 to 25 meters tall.

The rind of the edible fruit is deep reddish purple when ripe. Botanically an aril, the fragrant edible flesh is sweet and creamy, citrusy with some peach flavor.

Mangosteen is closely related to other edible tropical fruits such as button mangosteen and lemondrop mangosteen.

The juvenile mangosteen fruit, which does not require fertilization to form (see agamospermy), first appears as pale green or almost white in the shade of the canopy. As the fruit enlarges over the next two to three months, the exocarp color deepens to darker green. During this period, the fruit increases in size until its exocarp is 6–8 centimeters in outside diameter, remaining hard until a final, abrupt ripening stage.

The subsurface chemistry of the mangosteen exocarp comprises an array of polyphenolic acids including xanthones and tannins that assure astringency to discourage infestation by insects, fungi, plant viruses, bacteria and animal predation while the fruit is immature. Color changes and softening of the exocarp are natural processes of ripening that indicates the fruit can be eaten and the seeds are finished developing.

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