Gutta percha sample

A wedge shaped sample of gutta percha, circa 1960s. Gutta percha (Palaquium) is a genus of tropical trees native to Southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to the Malay Peninsula and east to the Solomon Islands. It is also an inelastic natural latex produced from the sap of these trees, particularly from the species Palaquium gutta. Chemically, gutta percha is a polyterpene, a polymer of isoprene (trans-1,4-polyisoprene). This item forms part of the Plastics Historical Society (PHS) collection.

handwritten: "TJYPTER AGE UNKNOWN"

PHSL : 151