366 



ON GUTTA GAMBEER. 





XI. 



Observations on Nauclea Gambir, the Plant producing the 

 Drug called Gutta Gumbecr, zoilJi Characters of tzco 

 other Species. By William Hunter, Esq. Secretary 

 to the Asiatic Society. Communicated by the President *. 



Gutta gambeer JLT has been a question, among naturalists and writers on 



produced from t ^ ma teria medica, whether the little cakes or lozenges 

 a species 01 ' ° 



nauclea. called gutta gambeer be prepared from the mimosa catechu^ 



or the produce of a different plant +. This question, if 

 not already determined, 'I am enabled to resolve by actual 

 observation, having seen the substance made from a species 

 of nauclea^ of which I beg leave to offer the following de- 

 scription. 



Characters of 

 the nauclea 

 gaiabir. 



Nauclea Gambir. 



Funis uncatus. Daun Gatta Gambir, Rumpk. Arab. 

 t. 5, 63, t. 34, /- 2. 



Climbing. Branches round. Leaves ovate, pointed, 

 smooth. Stipules two, lateral, caducous. Peduncles 

 axillary, solitary, simple, jointed. 



Stem shrubby, twining to a great height, covered with a 

 rough brown bark. 



Branches crowded, round, smooth; branchlets opposite, 

 widely spreading. 



Leaves opposite, petiolared, ovate, pointed, waving, 

 widely spreading, smooth, below marked with trans- 

 verse parallel veins. 



Stipules at the bases of the branchlets and petioles, two, 

 lateral, parabolical, sessile, widely spreading, smooth, 

 caducous. 



Peduncles axillary, solitary, round, straight, horizontal, 

 much shorter than the leaves; jointed near the apex 

 and bracteat- d : after the flowers have fallen, the lower 

 joint persistent, recurved, forming a hooked spine. 



* Trans, of the Linnean Soc. vol. IX, p. 218. 

 f Murray, Appar. Med. vol. II, p. 54i>. 



Bracteas 



