﻿408 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  the 
  sapote 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  the 
  star 
  apple 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  and 
  the 
  shea- 
  

   butter 
  tree 
  of 
  Africa 
  are 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  family, 
  as 
  are 
  also 
  the 
  

   original 
  gutta-percha 
  trees 
  of 
  the 
  East 
  Indies, 
  Palaquium, 
  Isonandra 
  

   or 
  Dichopsis. 
  

  

  The 
  balata 
  gum 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  described 
  as 
  intermediate 
  between 
  

   rubber 
  and 
  gutta-percha. 
  Gutta-percha 
  has 
  been 
  replaced 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  

   extent 
  by 
  vulcanized 
  rubber, 
  and 
  now 
  by 
  plastics, 
  but 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  

   balata 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  continue. 
  Insulating 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  Atlantic 
  

   cables 
  was 
  the 
  culminating 
  service 
  of 
  gutta-percha, 
  largely 
  exhausting 
  

   the 
  natural 
  resources 
  of 
  that 
  gum. 
  Mechanical 
  extraction 
  of 
  gutta- 
  

   percha 
  from 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  cultivated 
  trees 
  is 
  a 
  modern 
  development 
  in 
  

   the 
  Dutch 
  colonies, 
  and 
  balata 
  may 
  be 
  obtainable 
  either 
  in 
  that 
  manner, 
  

   or 
  by 
  extraction 
  from 
  the 
  bark, 
  as 
  practiced 
  with 
  guayule 
  and 
  proposed 
  

   for 
  Castilla. 
  The 
  close-grained, 
  durable 
  woods 
  obtainable 
  from 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  may 
  feature 
  as 
  byproducts 
  in 
  considering 
  the 
  

   cultural 
  problems. 
  

  

  THE 
  SAPODILLA, 
  OR 
  CHEWING-GUM 
  TREE 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  near-rubber 
  trees 
  that 
  doubtless 
  will 
  become 
  better 
  ap- 
  

   preciated 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  is 
  sapodilla, 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  Indies 
  and 
  

   in 
  southern 
  Florida 
  for 
  its 
  delicious 
  fruit. 
  The 
  same 
  tree, 
  named 
  by 
  

   Linnaeus 
  Achras 
  2apota, 
  grows 
  extensively 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  of 
  southern 
  

   Mexico 
  and 
  Guatemala, 
  where 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  chicle 
  or 
  chewing 
  gum 
  has 
  

   been 
  obtained, 
  though 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  substitutes 
  have 
  been 
  sought 
  in 
  

   many 
  countries 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  laboratories. 
  

  

  The 
  chicle 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  grow 
  so 
  slowly 
  that 
  setting 
  out 
  plan- 
  

   tations 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  the 
  gum 
  has 
  scarcely 
  been 
  thought 
  of, 
  but 
  other 
  

   elements 
  of 
  interest 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  overlooked 
  in 
  southern 
  Florida 
  or 
  

   in 
  other 
  tropical 
  countries. 
  The 
  fruits 
  are 
  delicious 
  and 
  wholesome, 
  

   the 
  trees 
  are 
  magnificient, 
  and 
  the 
  wood 
  is 
  of 
  fine 
  texture, 
  rich 
  color, 
  

   and 
  amazing 
  durability. 
  The 
  ancient 
  Mayas 
  used 
  carved 
  timbers 
  of 
  

   yas, 
  as 
  they 
  called 
  it, 
  as 
  lintels 
  over 
  the 
  doorways 
  of 
  their 
  temples, 
  

   and 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  remain 
  in 
  place 
  after 
  many 
  centuries, 
  even 
  in 
  a 
  

   tropical 
  climate. 
  The 
  abundance 
  of 
  chicle 
  and 
  breadnut 
  trees 
  (Brosi- 
  

   ?num 
  alicastrum) 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  that 
  now 
  cover 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  

   Maya 
  cities 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  edible 
  fruits 
  of 
  these 
  trees 
  may 
  have 
  

   contributed 
  to 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  population, 
  supplementing 
  

   field 
  crops 
  of 
  maize, 
  beans, 
  yautias, 
  and 
  sweetpotatoes. 
  

  

  When 
  it 
  grows 
  in 
  open 
  places 
  the 
  sapodilla 
  is 
  a 
  stately 
  tree 
  with 
  

   densely 
  tufted, 
  deep 
  green 
  leaves, 
  firm-textured 
  and 
  persistent 
  on 
  all 
  

   the 
  branches, 
  even 
  near 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  tree 
  shown 
  in 
  plate 
  17, 
  the 
  

   largest 
  known 
  in 
  Florida, 
  grew 
  at 
  Fort 
  Myers 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  street 
  of 
  

   the 
  town, 
  but 
  was 
  destroyed 
  in 
  a 
  building 
  project 
  of 
  the 
  boom 
  period. 
  

   The 
  leaves, 
  flowers, 
  and 
  immature 
  fruits 
  of 
  the 
  sapodilla 
  are 
  shown 
  

  

  