pittier: origin of chicle 435 



may not exist in Colombia and Venezuela, the flora of which coun- 

 tries is very imperfectly known. 



Lastly it appears from the "Notes on Useful Plants of Mexico," 

 published by Dr. J. N. Rose,"^ as well as from the reports of the 

 Comision Catastral y de Estudio de los Recursos naturales del 

 Estado de Sinaloa (March, 19 19), that other Sapotaceae, such as 

 Calocarpum mammosum Pierre, Bumelia Palmeri Rose, and perhaps 

 certain species of Lucuma, are to be included among the chicle- 

 producing plants. Rose, however, emphasizes the importance 

 of Achras Zapota as the main source of the chewing gum, though he 

 adds also that the chicle extracted from Calocarpum mammosum 

 is the best gum for masticatory purposes. According to the 

 Comision Catastral de Sinaloa, chicle is obtained there from the 

 fruits of the bebelamas, which has just been mentioned under the 

 name of Bumelia Palmeri. This tree was also collected in Sinaloa 

 in 1 89 1 by Dr. Edward Palmer, and in 19 10 by Rose, Standley, 

 and Russell, but no mention is made of its properties, further 

 than the note by Palmer that children are very fond of the 

 berries. 



That the wood of Achras Zapota is not generally used as 

 building material or for other purposes, mainly on account of 

 its being very scarce, is confirmed by reports obtained by me in 

 several Central and South American countries. This wood, 

 being heavy, fine grained, and hard, takes a beautiful polish. 

 But the tree is spared on account of its fruits; furthermore, it 

 seldom reaches adequate dimensions. Although there are trees 

 no less than 20 meters high, most of the height goes into the 

 crown; the trunk is rather short and only about 40 cm. in diam- 

 eter at most. Ernst*^ refers to its being employed in Venezuela 

 for making barrel staves, but there are other nisperos in that 

 country, and the same conclusion may have been drawn. The 

 wood of the nispero {Achras chicle) noticed by me in theMotagua 

 Valley is considered by the natives as incorruptible and may have 

 been used by the Mayas for the door lintels of their monuments. 

 In the rain forests of the Atlantic coast of Panama, I have 



5 Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 5: 222. 1897- 



^ La Exposicion nacional de Venezuela en 1883: p. 218. 1884. 



