Because of the possibility of importing agricultural pests, it is illegal to import mangosteen fruit into the continental United States, so if you want to sample the renowned taste of the Queen of Fruits, you’ll have to journey to the South Seas. The garcinia mangostana, the tree on which the mangosteen grows, is native to Malaya, and was first domesticated in Burma and India. In those countries, the fresh fruit is a prized delicacy, and the dried, powdered rind is sold as a general health supplement.

The mangosteen fruit now grows throughout Southeast Asia, from Ceylon through Kampuchea, Burma and Thailand. Though it has been planted in many subtropical regions throughout the world, it does poorly in most areas outside its native region. There are several small plantations of garcinia mangostana in Hawaii, and in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Colombia. Most of the mangosteens grown for commercial use, though, are grown in the fruit’s home – Southeast Asia.

The garcinia mangostana tree takes 10-12 years to reach maturity and only bears fruit twice a year – but a fully mature tree may bear as many as 1000 mangosteens in a season. Growers outside of the mangosteen’s native area have sometimes decided that the work and difficulty of growing mangosteens is not commercially viable. As mangosteen juice grows more and more popular, however, it’s likely that commercial growers will get the message that the mangosteen is definitely worth growing!