CANARIUM STRICTUM. Roxb.
Dammara nigra legitima, Bumph.
Manda-dup, . . BENG. Mall mara, . . MALEAL. Gugal, Dup,. . . „ Kongilam maram, . TAM. Black dammer tree, ENG. Karapa Kongilamu, „ Canari, . . . MALEAL.
This very beautiful, large tree is most abundant in all the moist ghat forests on the western side of the Madras and Bombay Presidencies up to 4000 and 4500 feet, but it does not occur in Ceylon or elsewhere, and it is never seen in dry forests. Its brilliant crimson foliage makes it a most beautiful sight when in young leaf. The leaves of saplings and young trees are very much larger than those of full-grown trees.
This is the black dammer tree of Tinnevelly and Malabar, and is so named in contradistinction to the Vateria Indica, which is called the white Jammer tree. C. strictum is common near Court allum, where it is rented for its dammer. While adherent to the tree, it gives a bright, shining black tint, but by translucent light is of a deep brownish-yellow or amber colour. The balsam
exudes in a very fluid state, and trickles down the trunk, where it gradually hardens by exposure to the sun ; the fresh resin continuing to flow over that already hardened, gives the stalactitic ap pearance to the huge lumps of resin, in which form the resin is brought to the market. It is perfectly homogeneous, has a vitreous fracture. It is insoluble in cold, but pirtially soluble in boiling alcohol on the addition of camphor ; when powdered, it is readily soluble in oil of turpentine. Powdered and burnt on the fire, it emits a more resinous smell, and burns with more smoke, than white dammer. The size of the lumps of this resin, together with its colour and the peculiarity of shape already mentioned, suffice to distinguish it from other Indian resins.— M. E. T. R.; Voigt, 149 ; Roxb. iii. 138. See Gums and Resins.