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African Mangosteen - Garcinia livingstoneiThe African Mangosteen is named after the French botanist, Laurent Garcin and Dr. David Livingstone the famous missionary and explorer in Africa. The African Mangosteen is a water-loving tree and has a very majestic and proud appearance. It is common in the perennial Okavango Delta swamp, but rather rare in the dry land areas of the Moremi and other areas in Botswana. The tree can grow up to 18 m. It is quite easily identifiable at a distance because of the bare, evenly sectioned yellowish-grey stem, contrasting sharply with the very dark, dense crown. The African mangosteen has a very dense branch and leaf structure and is a great place for birds to nest such as the Green Pigeon and also often home to the Flap-necked Chameleon. The Chameleon feeds on the insects. The fuits of this tree are pinky-orange, oval, grape-sized, the tree can be easily recognised when bearing fruit. A liqueur can be distilled from the fruits of the African Mangosteen by soaking them in alcohol and then thickening extract with sugar syrup. The tree also yields an edible gum.
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