Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Mangosteen, Purple mangosteen, Queen of fruits.

More about mangosteen

About Mangosteen

Garcinia mangostana · also called Mangosteen, Purple mangosteen · tropical

Mangosteen is a slow-growing equatorial tree prized for its sweet, snow-white aril fruit. It is one of the most demanding tropical fruits: it needs deep, rich, acidic, constantly moist soil, very high humidity, steady warmth and shelter from wind and frost. Young trees require shade; it is notoriously slow to establish and fruit.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (extremely frost-tender; warm glasshouse only in US and UK) · RHS H1a (25-35°C)

Watch for — Cold and frost intolerance: One of the most cold-sensitive fruit trees; even brief temperatures near 4-5°C are damaging or lethal, so it must be kept warm year-round.

What mangosteen's hardiness rating actually means

Mangosteen is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1a means: Tropical — needs a heated room or greenhouse; no frost tolerance whatsoever. On the US scale that maps to USDA 11-12 (extremely frost-tender; warm glasshouse only in US and UK) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly above about 15 °C (warm, never cold). Mangosteen has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for mangosteen as it gets too cold:

Below about above about 15 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can mangosteen go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above above 15 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when mangosteen can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1a figure above.

Mangosteen hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is mangosteen cold hardy?

Mangosteen is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Mangosteen can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (extremely frost-tender; warm glasshouse only in US and UK)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature mangosteen can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly above about 15 °C (warm, never cold). Mangosteen has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is mangosteen?

Mangosteen is rated USDA 11-12 (extremely frost-tender; warm glasshouse only in US and UK) and RHS H1a — Tropical — needs a heated room or greenhouse; no frost tolerance whatsoever.

Can mangosteen survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above above 15 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to mangosteen below its minimum temperature?

Below about above about 15 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.