. GQUTTIFERE. 3 169 
_ History, Uses, &c.—The Gamboge -tree of Malabar - 
and Canara, which is also found in other. parts of India, is by 
_ Beddome called G. pictoria and kept distinct from @. Morella. 
Hooker considers them both to be the same species. There 
would seem to be no doubt that Gamboge has never been 
collected in India as an article of commerce; and that itis — 
only from a comparatively recent date that the drug has been 
_ known in this country ; but the Hindus of Canara and Mysore, 
and probably of other parts of India, have for a long time 
used the juice of this tree under the Sanskrit name of Tamala 
as a pigment for making sectarial marks on the forehead, and 
this name is still current in Hindi, Bengali and Marathi. 
ther Sanskrit names for the tree are Tapiccha and T4pinja. 
The Ussdrah-i- Rewand of Arabic and Persian books is, properly 
eaking, an extract of Rhubarb, as the name implies, but owing © 
a similarity in properties and. also in colour, the same name 
applied to Gamboge upon its becoming known as an article 
Siam Gamboge is the only kind obtained in the 
gmarkets: An interesting account of the history of com- 
hich it appears that it only became known to the Chinese about 
D. 1300, and was not introduced into Europe before 1603. 
Reudenius (1614—-1625) described its medicinal properties 
d recommended its use as a purgative in arthritis (gout). 
_ Description.—Through the kindness of Dr. Davies, when 1 
eril Surgeon in Canara, we received a specimen of Gamboge 
ollected there. It is in irregular fragments, and appears 
we been collected upon leaves, portions of which still adhere 
. The finer pieces have the colour and consistence of — 
am Gamboge, but contain many impurities, such as portionsof — 
90d and leaves. Fully half the sample is of a dirty yellow. 
own colour, and has a spongy structure; this portic 
d with rectified spirit, gives a clear deep orange fe 
ey Gamboge, but leaves a “copious greenish 
which appears to be chlorophyll. Asat pr 
Gamboge is too meee for Soa i 
cr 
