The purple mangosteen (garcinia mangostana), colloquially known simply as mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the sunda islands and the moluccas of indonesia.

The fruit of the mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous, with fluid-filled vesicles (like the flesh of citrus fruits), with an inedible, deep reddish-purple colored rind (exocarp) when ripe. in each fruit, the fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is botanically endocarp, i.e., the inner layer of the ovary. seeds are almond-shaped and sized.