Nature Features available for license:
Wattle Gum
When you hear the words ‘gum tree’ you naturally think of eucalyptus trees, those grand old lords of the bush and countryside with their drooping grey-green leaves and peeling bark. But the blood-red ‘gum’ that oozes out from damaged bark is not really a gum, but ‘kino’ because it is astringent, rich in tannins and not easily soluble in water. Wattle bark is also rich in tannin, but the gum that oozes out from between the cracks is chewy and sweet. What makes it a true gum is the fact that it can be dissolved in water, even after it has dried rock hard.
It can be put to a thousand uses: as a gel in cosmetics and hair spray, as a gloss or finish in paints and painted surfaces, as a binder or thickener in all sorts of foods and compounds—in fact, any way that you would use ‘gum arabic’. This illustrated article, which describes how to collect, dry, store and use your own home made wattle gum, is available now.
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