Garcinia humilis
Fruit tree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Garcinia humilis, known commonly as abricot,[1] is a species of flowering plant related to the mangosteen. It is a tree native to the Caribbean – Haiti, Jamaica, the Leeward and Windward Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago – and Guyana.[2] It grows in moist lowland and submontane forests, often in seasonally-flooded river deltas and ravines. In Jamaica it also grows in moist forest on karst limestone hillsides.[1]
| Achacha | |
|---|---|
| |
| Two Achacha fruits with a seed | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Clusiaceae |
| Genus: | Garcinia |
| Species: | G. humilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Garcinia humilis (Vahl) C.D.Adams | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
A small, prolifically fruiting Bolivian tree known as achachairú or achacha is grown as a commercial crop in northern Australia. It is commonly identified as Garcinia humilis, but is more likely Garcinia gardneriana.[3][4]
The species was first described as Mammea humilis by Martin Vahl in 1798. In 1970 Charles Dennis Adams placed the species in genus Garcinia as G. humilis.[2]
Appearance
The achacha has an appealing colour and form and is decorative. It is egg-shaped, up to 6 cm long by 4 cm in diameter. It takes on a reddish-orange shade when mature. There is usually one significant coffee-coloured seed, but larger fruit may have more than one seed.
Eating the fruit
The taste is strongly sweet and tart, with more citrus-like acidity than the purple mangosteen. The rather tough, bitter rind can be split open with a knife or with the teeth, and the edible part of the fruit consumed with the seed.
The Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has found that the fruit keeps well for four to six weeks as long as it stays out of the fridge. It recommends storing the fruit at 15 to 20 degrees Celsius with a high relative humidity. If these conditions are not met, the fruit will shrivel.[5]
The glossy orange rinds of the achacha may be put in a blender with water. Once pureed and then strained to remove all of the solids, this liquid may be diluted and sweetened to one's taste, then chilled for a refreshing summer drink.[citation needed]
