554 LEGUMIN OSE. 
darkens in colour by keeping through the monsoon season, — 
and becomes agglutinated into masses. With water it forms a — 
nearly colourless mucilage, quite colourless with the finer 
qualities of the gum, possessing a faint characteristic odour, 
and about double the viscosity of gum arabic treated with the 
same proportion of water. The solution is gelatinized by 
basic acetate of lead and by borax, but is unaffected by ferric 
chloride or neutral acetate of lead. This is a very valuable 
gum, and may be obtained in almost any quantity nearly free 
from admixture with other gums, as it possesses well marked 
physical characters which render it readily distinguishable. 
Its dull white, roughened surface and glassy fracture free from 
cracks distinguish it from all other gums. The finer qualities 
are well suited for use in pharmacy, and for the preparation of 
emulsions it is unrivalled. As it possesses about double the 
viscosity of gum arabic, one part of this gum should be used 
where two parts of the former are ordered. 
This gum is now largely exported, and forms the bulk of 
the Ghati* gum of the Bombay gum merchants. 
Terminalia belerica produces a gum in tears and 
vermicular pieces of a dark brown colour with a smooth sur- 
face, free from cracks. When placed in water it swells up © 
to a tough gelatinous mass, very little dissolving. The gum 
contains crystals of calcium oxalate in dumb-bell-like forms, 
sphero-crystals and groups of fine crystalline particles. 
Aleurites moluccana yields in Bombay a partially : 
soluble gum of a yellowish or brown colour. ‘The solution 18 
gelatinized by neutral and basic acetate of lead and by borax 
but not by ferric chloride. The gum is permeated with the — 
hyphe of a fungus. 
* The Marathi wabaconty past signifies “ ince to the Desh or country 
above the Sayhadri range. 
