Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2026 | 18(1): 28242–28245
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10164.18.1.28242-28245
#10164 | Received 16 September 2025 | Final received 03 January 2026 |
Finally accepted 06 January 2026
Garcinia pedunculata
(Clusiaceae), a new record for Bhutan and its ethnopharmacological potential
Jigme Wangchuk 1,
Ugyen Dorji 2, Sherab Dorji 3 , Yograj Chhetri
4 & Tsethup Tshering
5
1,4,5 Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for
Forestry Research and Training, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang 34005, Bhutan.
2,3 Panbang Forest Range, Divisional
Forest Office, Zhemgang, 34103, Bhutan.
1 jickmew@gmail.com (corresponding
author), 2 ugyendorji551@gmail.com, 3 sgandhi6655@gmail.com,
4 chhetriy@gmail.com, 5 tsethup2015@gmail.com
Editor: D.S. Rawat, G.B. Pant
University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, India. Date of publication: 26 January 2026 (online & print)
Citation:
Wangchuk, J., U. Dorji, S. Dorji, Y. Chhetri & T. Tshering (2026). Garcinia
pedunculata (Clusiaceae), a new record for Bhutan and its
ethnopharmacological potential. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 18(1):
28242–28245. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10164.18.1.28242-28245
Copyright: © Wangchuk et al. 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in
any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of
publication.
Funding:
The Royal Government of Bhutan; The Global Environment Facility.
Competing interests:
The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank the biomass field crew, Mr. Leki
Dorji, Mr. Sonam Sherpa, and Mr. Kharka
Bdr. Thapa from the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Forestry Research and
Training for their invaluable assistance in collecting herbarium samples in the
field. We also extend our deep gratitude to the management of the Ugyen
Wangchuck Institute for Forestry Research and Training and to the Department of
Forests and Park Services for their continued guidance and support throughout
this work.
Abstract: Garcinia pedunculata Roxb. ex Buch.-Ham.
is reported here for the first time in Bhutan, specifically from Zhemgang
District. The species holds significant local value; its fruits are consumed as
food and used as dye mordants, as well as in traditional remedies for various
ailments. These uses exemplify the deep-rooted ethnobotanical knowledge
maintained by local communities.
Keywords: Angiosperm, bioactive constituents, conservation
status, digital herbaria, dioecy,
eastern Himalaya, ethnobotanical uses, least concern, taxonomy, Taikor,
Zhemgang District.
The genus Garcinia
L. of the Angiosperm family Clusiaceae comprises over 416 species of trees and
shrubs, occurring mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa,
Central & South America, Australia, and Polynesia (Lin et al. 2021; POWO
2025). Members of this genus are renowned for their economic and medicinal
significance, notably providing edible fruits and phytochemicals with
pharmaceutical potential (Santo et al. 2020; Kazmierczak et al. 2023). Species
of Garcinia are ethnobotanically important and have been utilized in
traditional medicine, culinary practices, dyeing, and cultural rituals since
ancient times (Lin et al. 2021). Because of the ethnobotanical and
phytomedicinal properties, in regions such as Bangladesh, this species, though
found in the wild, has also been occasionally cultivated by local communities
for fruit, vegetables, and local therapy (Islam et al. 2015).
Garcinia
pedunculata Roxb. ex Buch.-Ham., commonly known as
‘Amlavetasa’ in India and ‘Taikor’ in Bangladesh, is native to the Indo-Burma
biodiversity hotspot. The species produces large, yellowish-green, acidic
fruits. Local communities use these fruits in cooking and traditional medicine,
particularly to ease gastrointestinal issues, as a cardiotonic, and as a skin
softener (Santo et al. 2020; Bhattacharjee & Devi 2021). Phytochemical
analysis has identified important compounds in ripe fruits, such as
hydroxycitric acid, benzophenones, garcinol, and pedunculol. These compounds
are known for their antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, and antidiabetic activities (Santo et
al. 2020). Despite its recognized value in ethnobotanical uses, which has led
to its population decline elsewhere, the species has been listed as Least
Concern on the IUCN Red List (IUCN SSC GTSG & BGCI 2025).
In Bhutan,
three Garcinia species have been recorded so far, G. stipulata
T.Anderson, G. sopsopia (Buch.-Ham.)
Mabb., and G. xanthochymus Hook.f. ex T.Anderson
(Grierson & Long 1984). The presence of G. pedunculata had
long been recognized by local ancestral communities in the current study areas;
however, it had not been documented in the literature until our study. This may
be because the area was not covered in earlier studies (Wangchuk et al. 2023).
The species was discovered during the biomass sample collection for the
development of an allometric equation. The herbarium specimen was collected
along with the photographic evidence. We compared our specimen to the
previously documented genus Garcinia in Bhutan by Grierson & Long
(1984) and found no match. We then examined digital herbaria, including GBIF
(2025), POWO (2025), WFO (2025), eFlora of India (2025), Singh (1993), and Li
et al (2007), and confirmed that the species is G. pedunculata
based on morphological correspondence.
Taxonomic
Treatment
Garcinia
pedunculata Roxb. ex Buch.–Ham., Edinburgh J. Sci. 7:45.
1827 (Image 1).
Type
(Lectotype: INDIA—Sylhet, Wallich Cat. 4860C (K-W [K001104084], designated by
Ridsdale (1978), Blumea 24:141); Isolectotype: INDIA —Assam, Goalpara, 10.x.1808,
Wallich Cat. 4860A (CAL, K-W[K001104082]); cultivated in H.B.C (Calcutta
Botanical Garden), s.d., Wight s.n. (K [K000677592]); H.B.C., East Bengal,
s.d., Herb. Griffith 853 (K [K000677593]).
Synonym: Garcinia
planchonii Pierre in Fl. Forest. Cochinch.: t. 61 (1882).
Dioecious
trees 10–20 m height. Stem trunk fluted, bark thick, corky, dark
greyish-brown; branchlets glabrous, subterete with fine longitudinal striations
and lenticels. Leaves opposite, glabrous on both surfaces; petiole 2–2.5 cm
long; leaf blade oblong to oblong-lanceolate, occasionally ovate, chartaceous,
(12–) 15–25 (–30) × 7–12 (–17) cm; base cuneate, margin narrowly revolute, apex
usually rounded, midvein stout, raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially;
secondary veins regular, oblique, 9–14 pairs, near margin arching and joining
together forming loops; tertiary veins nearly parallel and inconspicuous.
Flowers 4-merous; male flowers in panicle-like cymes bearing 8-15
flowers, subtended by 3–6 cm long peduncles; pedicels robust, 3–7 cm long;
sepals fleshy, broadly ovate or suborbicular, thick, with membranous margins;
petals yellow, oblong-lanceolate, 7–8 mm long; stamens arranged in capitate
ring ca. 3 mm high, sometimes pistillode bears short filaments, anthers
sessile, 2-celled, dehiscent longitudinally; pistillode columnar-cuneate,
slightly angular with a peltate stigma, inconspicuously tuberculate. Female
flowers usually in pairs or solitary at the apex of branchlets; pedicels stout,
slightly tetragonous, with two suborbicular bracts at the base; staminodes
80–100 and encircling the ovary with 8–10 subglobose locules, and the stigma
radiate with 8–10 lobed and papillate. Fruits yellow, oblate, concave on both
ends when mature, 10–18 × 11–20 cm, smooth, pedicel 5–6 cm long; seeds 8–10,
reniform.
Flowering:
August to December.
Fruiting:
December to January.
The species
most closely resembling G. pedunculata is G. lanceifolia
Roxb. Garcinia pedunculata shares several characters with G.
lanceifolia. Both are small to medium-sized trees with simple, opposite,
leathery leaves that are elliptic to lanceolate with prominent veins. Their
flowers are unisexual, small, and arranged in axillary clusters, and their
fruits are globose to ovoid with a thick rind, a sour taste, edible, and widely
used in traditional medicine. Both species are found in tropical and
subtropical Asia. They can, however, be distinguished as follows: G. pedunculata has large, broad leaves
(13–30 cm long and ca. 8–18 cm wide) and large, yellow to yellowish-orange
fruits, whereas G. lanceifolia has smaller, narrow leaves (6–12.5 cm
long by 2–3 cm wide) and smaller, yellow to yellowish-orange fruits.
Distribution:
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, West Bengal in
northeastern India, Southwest China, Bangladesh (sometimes cultivated), Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Bhutan. Usually grown in dense forests on hills
200–400 m, and exceptionally, up to 1,500 m.
Specimen
examined: Bhutan. Zhemgang District, Nangla, Panbang along the Yumdang farm
road, 26.862° N, 90.985° E, 219 m, 12.iv.2025, collected by Tshethup Tshering
TT016 (UWIFoRT); voucher specimen deposited at the Bhutan National Herbarium,
National Biodiversity Centre, Serbithang (THIM22423) (Image 2).
Note: It is
also observed within the same District at several locations along the
forest-farmland edges at Thinleygang 26.854° N, 90.980° E; Chakchawa, between
Madulung and Prigchang along the footpath 26.890° N, 91.005° E; Amalagang,
Labir at the edge of the agricultural land (26.933° N, 90.956° E), Bjoka,
Zarkapla 26.882° N, 91.009° E.
Conservation
status: G. pedunculata has been evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red
List despite its extensive ethnopharmacological pressure. The baseline surveys
in Bhutan to assess current distribution and abundance are crucial. In
Arunachal Pradesh, the species occurs at low population densities, frequently
limited to a single tree or only a few individuals per survey site, raising
concerns about its continued survival (Gogoi & Das 2016). To maintain its
population while reaping its benefits, the species should be incorporated into
agroforestry and afforestation programs, not only for its conservation but also
to enhance livelihoods through the sustainable harvest and sale of its
products.
Ethnobotanical
uses and therapeutic potentials
Garcinia
pedunculata is traditionally known for culinary purposes and has been used as an
ascorbic, astringent, cardiotonic, and emollient (Paul et al. 2017), while also
being used to treat chronic catarrh, asthma, cough, bronchitis, dysentery,
digestive disorder, and fever (Kagyung et al. 2010). In Bangladesh, the plant
is cultivated for its fruit. In Assam, it is used in folk medicine to treat
gastrointestinal disorders and is also part of ethnic cuisine. The ripe fruit,
seldom consumed fresh, is cut into thin slices and sun-dried for preservation
(Bhattacharjee & Devi 2021). Many therapeutic values have been
scientifically established, including antioxidant (Islam et al. 2015), antimicrobial
(Negi et al. 2008), antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, hypolipidemic,
antidiabetic, hepatoprotective (Mundugaru et al. 2014), cardioprotective
(Mundugaru et al. 2016), neuroprotective, and nephroprotective properties
(Bhattacharjee & Devi 2021). Additionally, research has identified
polyphenols and flavonoids, along with bioactive compounds such as
hydroxycitric acid, garcinol, and cambogin (Bhattacharjee & Devi 2021).
Studies on
the nutritional, phytochemical, and antioxidant properties of mature fresh
fruits found that the fruit contains significant levels of phenolics and
flavonoids, contributing to its antioxidant activity (Devi et al. 2025).
Similarly, fruit extract exhibits significant antihyperglycemic, antidiabetic,
and antioxidant effects in rats, suggesting that fruit extract effectively
reduces blood glucose levels and enhances antioxidant defenses (Ali et al.
2017). An aqueous extract tested on rats for 14 days protects their hearts from
damage caused by a heart attack, harmful blood enzymes, and improves heart
tissue structure, suggesting the fruit’s potential as a natural remedy for
heart health (Mundugaru et al. 2016). Methanol and ethanol extracts of the
fruits demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against multiple clinical
bacterial strains, attributed to bioactive constituents such as hydroxycitric
acid lactone, garcinone-E, and mangostins (Zoliansanga & Lalfakzuala 2021).
In Bhutan,
mature fruits have been used as a dyeing mordant for silk threads from
ancestral times until silk became readily available from the Indian market. The
ripe fruit has a strong sour taste and is also edible; however, it must be
swallowed or chewed without contact with the teeth to avoid enamel erosion.
Local people prepare juice from fruits and sell them at markets. Communities
have also observed that wildlife, such as ungulates, feed on these fruits, and
the area around the base of the trees shows heavy signs of foraging. Enhancing
the population of this species in forest is expected to promote human-wildlife
co-existence (Tshering, pers. comm. viii.2025). Although a survey of
subtropical medicinal plants near the location of this newly recorded species
lists 61 species (Wangchuk et al. 2017), this species has not been formally
documented in any ethnobotanical study from Bhutan, despite its well-known uses
in local medicine. Thus, we report its presence and local medicinal uses in
this paper.
For
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