In my travels I have noticed gummous exudations from all the Brachychitons and Sterculias in Australia, including the famous “bottle-trees,” and I have no doubt that the gum of the various Sterculia trees of the tropics of Asia, Africa, and America consists of Bassorin, one species from Western Africa being described by Professor Lindley as Sterculia tragacantha, on account of the tragacanth-like gum exuding from its stem and branches. Whether by chemical action this Bassorin gum can be turned to important practical uses has yet to be seen.
Brachychiton
Sterculia tragacantha
Letter not found. The text given here is from C. R. Blackett, ‘Occurrence of bassora-gum in Cycadeae’, Chemist and Druggist, Australasian Supplement, 15 May 1882, p. 4 (B82.05.01). The article begins
Baron von Mueller, the Government botanist, in the course of his scientific researches upon some hitherto undefined species of cycadaceous plants, being anxious to examine the gum exuded by Macro-zamia Fraseri, collected by Mr. John Forrest, the Australian explorer, and Macro-zamia Miguelii, procured by the Rev. Dr. Wools, requested me to make an examination as to the character of this gum.
After describing the character of the gum, M’s letter is introduced by ‘Baron von Müeller informs me that he "has just obtained a specimen of gum from Brachychiton ramiflorum, which behaves like the Bassorin gum of the Cycadeae.” He also says:’.
The letter is dated to April 1882 as the latest likely date that M would have written for Blackett to prepare the article in time for this issue.
Blackett's article, including the excerpt from M's letter, was reprinted in Pharmaceutical journal and transactions, series 3, vol. 13, p. 105 (August 1882).
Please cite as “FVM-82-04-00a,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on