CAMBOGIA. 83 



GUTTIFER^. 

 CAMBOGIA. 



Gummi Gambogia, Gummi Gutti ; Gamboge ; F, Gomme Gutte ; 

 G. Gutti, Gwmmigutt. 



Botanical Origin — Garcinia Morella Desrousseaux, var. ^. pedi- 

 ceUata, a dioecious tree/ with handsome laurel-like folliage and small 

 yellow flowers, found in Camboja, Siam (province of Chantibun and the 

 islands on the east coast of the gulf of Siam), and in the southern parts 

 of Cochin China. It was introduced about thirty years ago into 

 Singapore where several specimens are still thriving (1873) on the 

 estate of Dr. Jamie, The finest is now a tree of 20 feet high, with a 

 trunk a foot in diameter, and a thick, spreading head of foliage. 



G. Morella Desr. — The typical form of this tree having sessile male 

 flowers grows in moist forests of Southern India and Ceylon, and is 

 capable of affording good gamboge. 



G. pictoria Roxb., a large tree of Southern India, produces a sort of 

 gamboge found by Christian (1846) essentiaUy the same as that of 

 Siam. It has been examined more recently by Broughton (1871) who 

 states it to be quite equal to that of G. Morella. We have also been 

 unable to find any difierence between the product of G. lyictoria as sent 

 from Ceylon and common gamboge. Garcinia pictoria moreover is 

 thought by Sir Jos. Hooker to agree with G. Morella. 



History — The Chinese had intercourse with Camboja as early as 

 the time of the Sung dynasty (A.D. 970 — 1127); and a Chinese traveller 

 who visited the latter countrv in 1295-97, describes gamboge and the 

 method of obtaining it by incisions in the stem of the tree.^ The cele- 

 brated Chinese herbal Pun-tsao, written towards the close of the 16th 

 century, mentions gamboge (Tang-hivang) and gives a rude figure of 

 the tree. The drug is regarded by the Chinese as poisonous, and is 

 scarcely employed except as a pigment. 



The first notice of the occurrence of gamboge in Europe is in the 

 writings of Clusius^ who describes a specimen brought from China by 

 the Dutch Admiral, Jacob van Neck, and given to him in 1603, under 

 the name of Ghittaie'niou.* It appears that shortly after this time it 

 began to be employed in medicine in Europe, for in 1611, Michael 

 Reuden, a physician of Bamberg, made use of it as he stated in 1613.' 

 He termed the drug a "novum gummi purgans," or also, Gummi de 



^ It has been named Garcinia Hanburyi for turmeric, but his description is unmis- 



by Sir Joseph Hooker (Journ. of the Lin- takeable. 



nean Soc. xiv., 1873, 435), but I presume * Exotica (1605) 82. 



my lamented friend Daniel Hanbury would * Dr. R. Rost is of opinion that this word 



not have considered the plant under notice is derived from the Malay gatdh, gum, and 



as a distinct species. Consult also Bent- the Javaneseya?HM signifying medicinal, such 



loy and Trimen, Med. Plants, part 30. — mixing of the two languages being of com- 



F.A.F. mon occurrence. 



- Description de Camboge in Abel-Remu- ^ Denova gummi purgante, Lipsiaa, 1614. 



;it's Nouv. Melanges asialiques, i. (1829) We have only seen the second edition pub- 



134. —The Chinese traveller calls the ex- lished at Leiden in 1625, its preface dating 



udation Kiang-hwang which is the name from 1613. 



