Gum-anime is a gum-resin the product of the Hymenma courbaril, the courbaril locust tree of South America, introduced into Tenasserim, and easily propagated. This gum-resin is of a pale brownish colour, and is met with in coin merce partly in translucent and somewhat unctu ous grams or tears, and partly in large brittle masses. But the commercial article ia doubtless t,he product also of the Vateria Indica or gum copal tree, which yields almost a precisely similar resin. For ordinary purposes these may be used indifferently, but where purity is demanded, copal is almost insoluble, while anime is wholly soluble in alcohol.
Dekamallee is the gum of Gardenia lucida ; it exudes in amber-coloured transparent drops at the ends of young shoots, from which it is collected. It is a strong, disagreeable-smelling gum-resin, procurable in most Indian bazars, and much used by native physicians as an external application, when dissolved in spirits, for cleaning foul ulcers. It is also used by some European practitioners in cases of worms in children. It is most useful in preventing vermin breeding in wounds, keeping away flies from sores, on account of its strong aroma ; and it is an article in the materia medica of the village farrier. Its effect in preventing the access of flies to festering wounds and running sores is remarkable.
Dammer is a vernacular term for the resins of various trees growing in India and in the Eastern Archipelam In I3ombay the term Dammer is also applied to pitch. Throughout India, Ral and Rala are terms applied to all resinous substances ; but the Ral of Northern India, and exported front the Panjab, is not similar to that of the resins of Vatica robusta and of V. tambugaia which form the chief part of the dammers of India. These are very brittle, and are anTher-coloured.
Sal - tree Dammer is the resin of V. robusta and of other species. It occurs in sticks much resembling in shape the black daminer, but differ. ing widely iu colour and consistency. In colour it varies from a light yellow to a dark brown, the two colours being very frequently found in the same lump, arid giving' it the appearance of having ft regular gmin.' It is friable, and differs from the white dammer of the western coast in it,a inferior hardneas, opacity, and its peculiar formi and from the black dammer in its colour. There are extensive tracts of Ovid= (VatIca) jungles in the Guinsur and Cuttack provinces. The Khond and Uriya races living in and near these jungles, wound trees In several places, the resin tesues, and is collected when sufficiently solid.
The danuner collected from the decayed parts of the tree is of a dark colour. • Piney Resin of the Vateria Indica is amber coloured and very tough. It is known 88 Piney dammer, white dimmer of 3falabar, Indian copal, and Indian gunt-nnime. This resin when soft is Piney varnish. It is largely exported front the forests of Travancore and Western Ghats.
Black Demmer of Malabar is the product of Canarium strictum.
White Dampier of Sing,apore occurs in fragments of variable size, marked .with reddish streaks, transparent, amber-like, brittle, with brilliant fracture, very inflammable, inodorous, and taste less. This resin flows front the Dammara, orien talis which grows on the lofty mountains of Amboyna. It hangs front the branches, and re sembles stalactites, the pieces being sometimes ns large as the hand, and 4 to 8 inches long; some pieces are like anitne resin. This substance, in conjunction with wood-oil, makes a, useful coarse varnish for doors, windows, etc. It is also some thnes employed as a Pitch in dockyards, and by farriers in the prepamtion of certain plasters. When melted with gingelly oil, it is used for covering corks in bottles.
Cowdie or Kanrie Gum, called also Australian darnmer of New Zealand, is the product of Dam mara Austmlis.
The dammer of the Tenasserim Provinces is the product of three different genera, belonging to the wood-oil tree family,—the Vatica, the Hopea, and the Dipterocarpus.
Gum Elenzi of commerce is said to be yielded by several species of Amyris.
Brazilian Elenzi is e,alled also Acouchi balsam. It is obtained from the Iciea heterophylla.
American Elena comes from Tema icicariba ; resin of courina from I. ambrosica.
Gum Galbamun is referred to Ophoidia gal banifera, Don, Galbanum officinale, Don, and Fonda galbaniflua, Buh. There appear to be two kinds of galbanum, Levant and Persian. The Persian, which is the one which comes to India, is yielded by Ophoidia galbanifera.
Gum-elastic, caoutchouc, or India rubber, is obtained in S.E. Asia from several milky-juiced plants, belonging to different families (Sapotacere, Apoeynacere, Moraceat, and Euphorbiacese). Assam in particular furnishes large quantities of India rubber from Ficus elastica ; whilst supplies from 'Adman are of the Urceola elastica; and from the Peninsula, of Cryptostegia grandiflora.