Garcinia cowa Roxb. ex Choisy

Family: Clusiaceae

Synonym: Garcinia roxburghii Wight                     

Bengali/Vernacular name: Kau, Cowa, Kaglichu (Bengali); Kao-gola (Chittagong).

Tribal name: Kao gula (Chakma), Palla owa-chae (Chak), Aangtrisabuee (Khumi), Soot (Khasia), Tah gala (Marma), Mang-tong (Murang), Jegeyn-bawn (Rakhaing), Kok-phang (Tripura).

English name: Cow tree.

Description of the Plant: A dioecious tree, about 3-16 m tall, with oval crown, bark greyish-brown, exuding yellow gum, branches numerous. Leaves simple 5-18 x 3-7 cm, opposite, broadly elliptic-lanceolate, acute to acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base.Flowers small, tetramerous, dioecious borne in small clusters, yellow. Fruit a berry, globose or pyriform, 5 cm across, yellow or reddish, sometimes as large as a small orange, 6-8 grooved, slightly depressed tinge when ripe, juicy inside.

Plant parts Used: Leaf, fruit.

Traditional Uses: A paste made from leaves of the plant is applied to the affected part of the body for the treatment of rheumatism.
The old dried fruits are good for dysentery, digestive, and cooling.
Pericarp of green fruits is used as chutney, and in curries, especially in soup of pulses for good taste.
Paste prepared from the leaves of the plant is applied to the tumor once a day to treat it.

Distribution: It occurs almost throughout the country.

Is this plant misidentified? If yes, please tell us….