Ethnobotanical Study on Garcinia (Clusiaceae) in China

Fengke Lin,Zhuo Cheng,Binsheng Luo,Ping Li,Chunlin Long,Łukasz Łuczaj

doi:10.5586/asbp.9012

Abstract

Abstract The genus Garcinia L. (Clusiaceae) is gaining increasing scientific attention worldwide owing to its ethnobotanical and pharmacological significance. In China, even though Garcinia plants have long been used for food, ethnomedicine, building materials, and other purposes, a comprehensive ethnobotanical study of the genus is notably limited. In the current study, the ethnobotanical importance of Garcinia plants has been extensively investigated through field surveys and literature reviews. Our studies revealed that Garcinia plants have been used in folk medicine since ancient times in China, including the Northern Song Dynasty, 960–1127 AD. Through their extensive interactions with genus, the Chinese people have gained various traditional knowledge, which is reflected in the following six aspects: food, traditional medicines, ornamental trees, construction and technology, cultural and spiritual significance, and miscellaneous uses. In particular, the four species: Garcinia hanburyi , G. paucinervis , G. xanthochymus , and G. oblongifolia , have cultural or spiritual values, among which G. paucinervis could be considered a cultural keystone species in the local communities, considering its crucial contribution to people’s cultures, spirits, and community identity. However, in general, some concerns originating from swift socio-economic changes have also been identified in the knowledge and Garcinia species. Strategies are needed to conserve traditional botanical knowledge, as well as plants.

Highlights

Garcinia Linnaeus, the second largest genus in the family Clusiaceae, consists of more than 400 species worldwide, which naturally occurs mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, such as South Africa, Madagascar, and tropical regions of Asia and America
A total of 10 linguistic groups have developed traditional knowledge of Garcinia plants, among which the Zhuang people recognized the highest number of use categories, followed by the Han and Hani linguistic groups (Figure 2)
Our findings demonstrate that with long-term use of Garcinia plants, a variety of traditional botanical knowledge originating from 17 species has been developed by 10 linguistic groups in China, divided into six use categories, such as food, ethnomedicines, and cultural and spiritual applications, indicating the close interactions between the people and Garcinia plants

Summary

Introduction

Garcinia Linnaeus, the second largest genus in the family Clusiaceae, consists of more than 400 species worldwide, which naturally occurs mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, such as South Africa, Madagascar, and tropical regions of Asia and America Ey are mainly distributed in southern parts of China, such as Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan Provincial Regions L. Li et al, 2016) Plants of this genus are evergreen trees or shrubs, usually characterized by monopodial branches and they produce yellow or white latex in different plant parts, such as pericarps, twigs, and leaves (Nazre et al, 2018). Ey are usually functionally dioecious, with opposite leaves, berry-like fruits, and large seeds W. Li et al, 2007)

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