AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 
OF THE 
STRAITS 
AND 
FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 
NO. 3.] MARCH, 1906. [VOL. V. 
THE TIMBERS AND GUTTAS OF THE MALAY 
PENINSULA. 
(Sapotace^.)' 
The order of trees known as that of the Sapotaceae is one of the 
most troublesome to the Botanist, as so many are trees of such 
gigantic size that it is extremely difficult to get flowers or fruit of 
them. The flowers are small and inconspicuous and it is often 
difficult to determine whether a tree is in flower or no, and if it is’ 
it is frequently impossible to get specimens. At the same time it is 
an order of no small importance producing some of the finest hard 
timbers in the East and also being the source of gutta percha, and 
of many oil seeds. The plants of this order occurring in the Malay 
Peninsula have lately been described by Sir GEORGE King and 
Mr. GAMBLE in the Materials for a Flora of the Malay Peninsula, 
No, 17, published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 
(Vol. LXXIV 1905). Forty-eight species of indigenous trees be- 
longing to seven genera are described, with the two cultivated 
species of Mimusops. 
Gutta percha Producing Species. 
Of the plants which produce the best gutta perchas, all belong to 
the genera Payena and Palaquium , the latter including the Dichopsis 
of other works. The true guttapercha tree is Palaquium gutta, 
Burck, from which P. oblongifolimn is only distinguished as a 
variety. This is I think, quite a correct view, though Dr. BURCK 
who had studied these plants carefully decided that tlie two were quite 
distinct species. The plant undoubtedly varies a great deal in 
foliage, not only in different circumstances and surroundings but 
also at different ages. Dr. Romburgh who distinguished the two 
species declared that a plant in the Botanic Gardens which appears 
to have been one of the original types of D. gutta was oblongifolia. 
Having seen many thousands of plants in all. ages, and under all 
conditions, I have failed to find any distinguishing characters 
