Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

100 results found

chewing gum

(Encyclopedia)chewing gum, confection consisting usually of chicle, flavorings, and corn syrup and sugar (or artificial sweeteners). Prehistoric people are believed to have chewed resins. Spruce resin was chewed as...

gum ammoniac

(Encyclopedia)gum ammoniac: see ammoniac.

gum tragacanth

(Encyclopedia)gum tragacanth: see tragacanth.

gum tree

(Encyclopedia)gum tree, name for the eucalyptus (see myrtle) in Australia and for several other trees, e.g., the sweet gum, of the family Hamamelidaceae (witch hazel family), and the black gum or tupelo in North Am...

sweet gum

(Encyclopedia)sweet gum: see witch hazel.

sour gum

(Encyclopedia)sour gum: see black gum.

black gum

(Encyclopedia)black gum, ornamental deciduous tree (Nyssa sylvatica family Nyssaceae) native to E North America. The leaves turn bright scarlet in the fall. The very tough wood was used for wheel hubs and other pur...

chicle

(Encyclopedia)chicle chĭkˈəl [key], name for the gum obtained from the latex of the sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota), a tropical American evergreen. The sapodilla (known also by many other common names) is wide...

rabbitbrush

(Encyclopedia)rabbitbrush, name for shrubby plants of the American genus Chrysothamnus of the family Asteraceae (aster family). They grow in arid regions of the W United States and in Mexico and are characteristic ...

sapodilla

(Encyclopedia)sapodilla, the edible fruit of Manilkara zapota (formerly Achras zapota), of the family Sapotaceae. The fleshy, brown fruit is the size of a small tomato, and has the flavor and texture of cinnamon, a...