Kōrero: Plant extracts

Kauri gum

Kauri gum

Kauri gum oozes from kauri trees. It builds up in and around the tree over hundreds of years. The ground where the tree falls becomes a litter of wood and gum, which is often gradually buried by soil or drowned in swamps. Large amounts were dug from swamps in the far north from the 1860s till the 1940s. Blended with linseed oil, the gum was used to make varnish and floor coverings. Kauri gum was once the greatest economic earner of any New Zealand plant extract.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Photograph by Alastair McLean

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Nigel Perry, 'Plant extracts - Toxic and commercial compounds', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/photograph/14466/kauri-gum (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Nigel Perry, i tāngia i te 24 Sep 2007