''Garcinia binucao'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several former members of Clusiacae are now placed in Calophyllaceae and Hypericaceae. ...

family. It is commonly known as binukaw or batuan, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ''

Garcinia ''Garcinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, America, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is disputed; Plants of the World Online (POWO) recognise up to 400. Common ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is not cultivated, though its edible fruits are harvested from the wild for use as a souring agent in some Filipino dishes.

Taxonomy

Binukaw belongs to the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' (the mangosteens) of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

. The first description of the

correct name In botany, the correct name according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) is the one and only botanical name that is to be used for a particular taxon, when that taxon has a particular circumscription, posit ...

of the species is attributed to the French botanist

Jacques Denys Choisy Jacques Denys (Denis) Choisy (5 April 1799, Jussy – 26 November 1859, Geneva) was a Swiss Protestant clergyman and botanist. He studied theology, law, humanities and sciences at the ''Académie de Genéve''. In 1821 he became ordained as a minis ...

in ''Description des guttifères de l'Inde'' (1849) based on the

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

''Cambogia binucao'' from the Spanish friar and botanist

Francisco Manuel Blanco Manuel María Blanco Ramos known as Manuel Blanco (1779 – 1845) was a Spanish friar and botanist. Biography Born in Navianos de Alba, Castilla y León, Spain, Blanco was a member of the Augustinians, Augustinian order of friars. His first ass ...

in ''Flora de Filipinas'' in 1837. The plant is known as ''binukaw'' (also spelled ''binucao'', ''binukau'', or ''bilukaw'') in Tagalog, and ''batuan'' in

Visayan languages The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the languages of the Philippines, Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog language, Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which ar ...

. Other names include Ilocano ''balakut'', Bikol ''buragris'', and

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...

Visayan ''haras''. The common names are sometimes shared with other similar ''Garcinia'' species in the Philippines like ''

Garcinia morella ''Garcinia morella'' is a species of tree in the family Clusiaceae found in India, and Sri Lanka. Common names * Assamese: Kũzi Thekera (কুঁঁজী ঠেকেৰা) *English: ''gamboge'' (Sri Lanka), ''gamboge'' (India) *Tamil: ''ira ...

''.

Description

Binukaw is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

tree growing to a maximum height of around with a trunk around in diameter. The leaves are oblong to obovate around long and wide. The flowers are reddish to creamy white in color. The fruits are round

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

, around in diameter with a juicy pulp and numerous seeds.

Distribution

Binukaw is endemic to the

Culinary

The sour fruits are edible and can be eaten raw. They are also commonly used as a souring agent in traditional Filipino dishes like ''

sinigang ''Sinigang'' is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory taste. It is most often associated with tamarind (Filipino: ''sampalok''), although it can use other sour fruits and leaves as the souring agent. It is one of the more ...

''.

Conservation

The species is becoming rare due to

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

and

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

for agriculture.

References