[1] The specific epithet (forbesii) honors Scottish naturalist Henry Ogg Forbes.

[2] Garcinia forbesii is found in Southeast Asia and is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and southern Thailand.

[3] The tree rarely exceeds 20 feet (6.1 meters) in height domestically but has been recorded at heights of nearly 60 feet (18 meters) in the wild and produces a round, smooth, small fruit which is red to white in color and has edible arils,[4] which have been described as being similar to mangosteen in flavor.

It is a dioecious species with leathery, elliptically shaped evergreen leaves, and a yellow latex is produced in the inner bark of the tree.

[2][5] Several xanthones have been isolated from the branches of Garcinia forbesii: known compounds pyranojacareubin, 1,3,7-trihydroxy-23-methylbut-2-enyl-xanthone and lichexanthone,[6] as well as a new chromenoxanthone, forbexanthone.