Gutta Percha

Description

Palaquium gutta is a tree in the Sapotaceae family. It grows up to 40 metres (130 ft) tall. The bark is reddish brown. Inflorescences bear up to 12 flowers. The fruits are round or ellipsoid, sometimes brownish tomentose, up to 2.5 centimetres (1 in) long. The specific epithet gutta is from the Malay word getah meaning "sap or latex". The tree is a well-known source of gutta-percha latex. Habitat is lowland mixed dipterocarp, kerangas and limestone forests. P. gutta is found in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo.