Page 58 - Major Gum Resin-E-Book

Exudate Gums

Habitat and distribution
A small tree with spreading branchlets is an evergreen tree in the Anacardiaceae (cashew
or sumac family) that originated in Central and South America and is now cultivated
commercially in semi-arid tropical areas in Africa, India. It is distributed throughout India
as natural or introduced tree. Natural plantations are mostly found in Kerala (All districts),
Goa, Maharashtra (Kolhapur, Nasik, Pune, Raigad, Ratnagiri, satara, Sindhudurg, Thane);
Karnataka (Chikmagalur, Coorg, Dharwar, Hassan, Mysore, N. Kanara, Shimoga, S. Kanara)
Andaman & Nicobar Island, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha; all districts of Tamil Nadu; Throughout
Assam and other states.

Description
Anacardium occidentale is a medium-sized, spreading, evergreen trees and grows in
companion with other trees. Bark is pale grey to brown. Leaves are simple, alternate,
coriaceus, glabrous, obovate, rounded at ends and found clustered on twig apices. Small,
pale green flowers are produced in a panicle or corymb then turning reddish. The fruit of
the cashew tree is a false fruit, oval or pear-shaped. The true fruit is a shaped drupe that
grows at the end of the pseudo fruit. Single seed is contained within the true fruit.
Flowering: March - April

Fruit: April onwards
Gum Uses
The bark contains an acrid sap of thick brown resin, which becomes black on exposure to
air. Resin is secreted from the plant’s stem, which is used as a substitute for gum arabic or
in similar applications, such as varnish. This is used as indelible ink in marking and printing
linens and cottons. The varnish, so prepared is also used for preserving fishnets and a flux
for solder metals. The stem also yields an amber-coloured gum which is used as an adhesive
(for woodwork panels, plywood, book binding) because it has insecticidal properties.

Major gum and resin plants of India 49