156 
Miscellaneous. 
the imperfection of his specimens, and his not being aware that the 
lobes of the stigma afford a sure indication of the number of cells 
of the fruit.” 
Another refers it to Garcinia camhogia, but Dr. Wight says that the 
exudation of this tree is “ wholly incapable of forming an emulsion 
with the wet finger,” a statement which the writer knows to be cor- 
rect. The tree is very common in the Tenasserim Provinces, but 
the bright yellow exudation it produces is certainly not gamboge. 
A third refers it to Stalagmitis cambogioides, but Dr. Wight re- 
marks, “ The juice of this tree differs so very widely in its qualities 
from good gamboge, that it can never be expected to prove valuable 
as a pigment.” 
Dr. Graham has described a Ceylon tree under the name of Hebra- 
dendron cambogioides, which is said to produce good gamboge ; but 
no gamboge has ever been exported into the English market from 
Ceylon. Thus it would appear, to use the language of Dr. Wight, 
that “ the tree, or trees, which produce the gamboge of commerce 
is not yet known.” 
Dr. Heifer, who was employed by Government as a scientific natu- 
ralist, in these provinces, at an expense of thirteen hundred rupees per 
month, reported, “ The gamboge of this country dissolves very little 
with water, and consequently does not yield that yellow emulsion as 
the common guttifera. It will never serve as a colour, but promises 
to give a very beautiful varnish.” This statement was controverted 
by a writer in our local periodical at the time, w'ho said he had ob- 
tained “ fine gamboge of the very best description” from our jungles ; 
in which he was no doubt correct, but he erred when he added that 
it came from the “ true Stalagmitis cambogioides.” A very small 
amount of botany would have served to preserve him from falling 
into this error ; for that plant has a quinary arrangement of its flow- 
ers, while the arrangement of the flow'ers in those that produce gam- 
boge in these provinces is quaternary. 
The hills that bound the valley of the Tavoy river, on both sides, 
from their bases to their summits, abound with a tree which produces 
a fine gamboge. It is Roxburgh’s Garcinia pictoria, which he knew 
produced gamboge, but which he said was liable to fade. As soon 
as I satisfied myself of the identity of the trees by an examination of 
the inflorescence of our plant compared with Roxburgh’s description, 
I coloured a piece of paper, one band wdth this gamboge, and an- 
other with the gamboge of commerce ; and subsequently exposed 
both to the weather equally for more than twelve months, but with- 
out being able to discover that one faded any more than the other. 
South of the latitude of the mouth of Tavoy river, and throughout 
the province of Mergui, there is found on the low plains at the foot 
of the hills, and on the banks of the rivers, almost down to tide waters, 
another species of Garcinia that also ])roduces good gamboge. I have 
no doubt but it is the tree from which Dr. Griffiths furnished Dr. Wight 
with specimens, and which the latter says, “ I refer doubtfully to 
Wallich’s G. elliptica.” We will call it then G. elliptica, a species 
which Dr. Wight has on his list of “ species imperfectly known.” 
