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between the forms which are in any way reliable. The common 

 name is Taban in the Malay Peninsula. In Sumatra it is called 

 Balam, and several forms are distinguished under the names of 

 Balam putih and Balam merah (typical P. oblongifolium) and Balam 

 Belukar more resembling the round-leaved D. gutta. A quite 

 worthless but beautiful tree which is very often mistaken at first 

 sight for gutta percha is Payena Maingayi. Its conspicuous golden 

 leaves usually much longer than those of the Palaquium gutta at 

 first glance suggest those of that plant. Its gutta too when fresh 

 drawn and set has the same red speckled appearance of first class 

 gutta but never hardens, remaining a putty-like mass, which 

 usually at least becomes quite black after a short time. It is very 

 common in Malacca and open country generally in the Peninsula. 

 It is known as "Malaim pata", and is said to give a good durable 

 timber, heavy and dark brown, used in house building. It attains 

 the height of about 70 feet. It is one of the numerous plants 

 known also as Niatoh, a name applied to a large number of gutta-pro- 

 ducing plants, and according to Mr. CURTIS the Malay call it 

 " Taban Percha the real gutta percha being always known here 

 as Getah Taban, and not as Percha. The seeds are imported from 

 Sumatra for oil. 



Payena Selangorica, King and Gamble, is another tree which at 

 first sight when alive resembles Palaquiwn Gutta, but the leaves 

 are much stiffen I found the only specimen yet known on the 

 woods of Bukit Kutu in Selangor. It is a tree about 20 feet tall. 

 I took it for a gutta tree and was surprised to find on cutting into it 

 that no gutta came out at all. 



Payena Leerii. — The white gutta percha, Getah Sundek occurs all 

 over the Peninsula and in Sumatra, Banka, Borneo and Amboina, 

 but an allied species P. Havilandi ) King and Gamble seems to be 

 commoner in the Peninsula. This latter, known here as S'marum, 

 is a big tree like Leerii, but has rounder leaves. Its gutta appears 

 as good as that of P. Leerii. At one time a good deal of Getah 

 Sundek was collected in the Dindings. This was the produce of 

 P. Leerii. 



Payena lucida. — A common tree of no great size known as Niato, 

 Niatoh putih, Niato bulam, Poko Tanjong hutan (from a resemblance 

 to Mimusops Elengi) gives no gutta. The. timber is poor and not 

 large. 



Palaquium obovatunt. King. — The Taban putih is the well known 

 Dichopsis obovata, Clarke. It gives a fairly good second class white 

 gutta. It is also called Niato bunga, Niato tembaga, Niato balam 

 (Balam and Niato are both Sumatran words signifying what is 

 known as Taban here.) It is a very common tree and never seems 

 to have been very popular with gutta collectors. Dichopsis Kran- 

 tziana, Pierre, a native of Cochin-China seems to be very closely 

 allied to this plant. Young plants grown in the Botanic Gardens are 

 hardly distinguishable from D. obovata. D. Krantziana produces 

 a gutta similar to that of D. obovata, which is exported from French 

 Indo-China in the form of twists. It is of low value, 



