3. On the Sources and Composition of the different kinds of Gamboge. By Dr Christison; and on the Botanical Origin of Gamboge. By Dr Graham

Extract

Gamboge was first made known by Clusius about the commencement of the seventeenth century, as a concrete juice from China. About the middle of the same century, Bontius conceived he had traced it to a particular species of Euphorbia, growing in Java and in Siam; from the latter of which countries the whole gamboge of commerce was at that time obtained. About the close of that century Hermann announced that gamboge was produced by two species of trees growing in Ceylon, which have been since often confounded together, but which are now designated by the names Garcinia Gambogia, and Stalagmitis Gambogioides. About the middle of last century, gamboge was referred by Linnæus to the former of these plants, and his reference was generally admitted. But about thirty years later, Professor Murray of Göttingen conceived he had traced it satisfactorily from the specimens collected by Koenig in Ceylon, and information obtained by the same botanist in Siam, to a new species which he called Stalagmitis gambogioides.