New Garcinia Species Discovered

04 Jul 2025 GS 3 Environment

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Context: A new tree species, Garcinia kusumae, has been discovered in Bamunbari, Baksa district, Assam.

It belongs to the Garcinia genus (locally known as thoikora), part of the Clusiaceae family.
Named after Kusum Devi, late mother of botanist Jatindra Sarma, to honour her contribution to his education.
Co-authored by Hussain A. Barbhuiya from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, published in Feddes Repertorium.

Fourth species Mr. Sarma has named after a family member.
Garcinia genus has 414 species globally, with 33 species and 7 varieties in India.
Assam hosts 12 species and 3 varieties of Garcinia.
Garcinia kusumae is a dioecious evergreen tree that grows up to 18 m tall.
- Flowers: February–April
- Fruits mature: May–June
Identified due to distinct morphological features, following standard herbarium procedures.
Garcinia, the largest genus in the family Clusiaceae, comprises 414 species of shrubs and trees. Pan-tropically distributed, its centres of diversity are found in Africa, Australasia, and Southeast Asia.
It thrives in lowland tropical rainforests, including those in Africa, making it ecologically significant across continents.