Gum (botany)
![](../I/m/Corymbia_calophylla_kino.jpg)
Kino flows from a wound in the trunk of a Corymbia calophylla (Marri)
Gum is a sap or other resinous material associated with certain species of the plant kingdom. This material is often polysaccharide-based and most frequently is associated with woody plants, particularly under the bark or as a seed coating. The polysaccharide material is typically of high molecular weight and most often highly hydrophilic[1] or hydrocolloidal.
As seed coating
Many gums occur as seed coatings for plant species; the adaptive purpose of some of these gummy coatings is to create a time delayed germination of certain flora seeds. An example of such a gummy coating occurs in the case of Western poison oak, a widespread shrub in western North America.[2]
See also
- Cambium (botany)
Line notes
- ↑ Schröder, Monika J. A. (2003). Food Quality and Consumer Value: Delivering Food that Satisfies. Springer. ISBN 3-540-43914-5.
- ↑ Hogan, C. Michael (15 October 2008). Nicklas Strömberg, ed. "Western poison-oak: Toxicodendron diversilobum". GlobalTwitcher.