Botanical.com Home Page Botanical: Garcinia hanburyii (HOOK)
---Synonyms---Gutta gamba. Gummigutta. Tom Rong. Gambodia.
Garcinia Morella. Family: N.O. Guttiferae ---Part Used---Gum
resin. ---Habitat---Siam, Southern Cochin-China, Cambodia,
Ceylon. ---Description---The commercial Gamboge is obtained from
several varieties, though Garcinia Hanburyii is the official
plant, an almost similar gum is obtained from Hypericum (St.
Johnswort). The Gamboge tree grows to a height of 50 feet, with
a diameter of 12 inches, and the gum resin is extracted by
incisions or by breaking off the leaves and shoots of the trees,
the juice which is a milky yellow resinous gum, resides in the
ducts of the bark and is gatheredin vessels, and left to thicken
and become hardened. Pipe Gamboge is obtained by letting the
juice run into hollowed bamboos, and when congealed the bamboo
is broken away from it. The trees must be ten years old before
they are tapped, and the gum is collected in the rainy season
from June to October. The term '