''Garcinia pedunculata'', popularly known as Bor Thekera (বৰ ঠেকেৰা) in

Assamese Assamese may refer to: * Assamese people, a socio-ethnolinguistic identity of north-eastern India * People of Assam, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-religious people of Assam * Assamese language, one of the easternmost Indo-Aryan language ...

, is an evergreen tree related to the more familiar purple mangosteen ('' Garcinia mangostana''). The tree is endemic to the south-eastern regions of Asia such as parts of Myanmar and north-eastern parts of India.

Tree and fruit

The tree has a fluted trunk with short spreading branches. Leaves are lanceolate with prominent midribs. Male flowers are light green in sparsely flowered

panicles A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are o ...

. The female flowers are solitary. The roundish fruit has a diameter ranging between 8 and 12 cm. It has a juicy interior with edible

arils An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...

Uses

The ripe fruit is eaten cooked or raw. Usually the ripe or raw fruits are sliced, sun-dried and preserved. In the state of Assam, such slices are much valued and used for preparing delicacies like "tenga diya masor jol" meaning Assamese sour fish curry. It can also be prepared with other vegetables, especially fritters made with lentils.

Tree and fruit

Uses

References

See also