Gum karaya or gum sterculia, also known as Indian gum tragacanth, is a vegetable gum produced as an exudate by trees of the genus Sterculia. Chemically, gum karaya is an acid polysaccharide composed of the sugars galactose, rhamnose and galacturonic acid. It is used as a thickener and emulsifier in foods, as a laxative, and as a denture adhesive. It is also used to adulterate Gum tragacanth due to their similar physical characteristics. As a food additive it has E number E416.
Sterculia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae: subfamily Sterculioideae. Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts. The scientific name is taken from Sterculius of Roman mythology, who was the god of manure; this is in reference to the unpleasant aroma of the flowers of this genus. Sterculia may be monoecious or dioecious, and flowers unisexual or bisexual.
Sterculia quadrifida, also known as the peanut tree, or red-fruited kurrajong is a small tree that grows in the rainforests, vine thickets, and gallery forests of New Guinea and northern Australia.
Sterculia colorata, the scarlet sterculia, is a medium-sized tree with spreading branches. It sheds leaves before the onset of flowering. After leaf-shedding, buds sprout and develop into flowers. The tree flowers from March to April.
Daniellia oblonga is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Callitris oblonga, also called South Esk pine, pigmy cypress pine, river pine, or Tasmanian cypress pine, is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is endemic to Australia, and is threatened by habitat loss.
The northern snake-necked turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae or Austro-South American Side-necked Turtles. It is native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
Sterculia alexandri is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is endemic to South Africa, occurring in the Eastern Cape, and only found in a few localities: the Winterhoek Mountains near Uitenhage, Van Staaden's Mountains near Port Elizabeth and the Kouga Dam at the start of the Baviaanskloof. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Sterculia khasiana was a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It was an endemic tree of the Khasi Hills in Meghalaya in India. It became extinct due to habitat loss.
Sterculia parviflora is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Sterculia schliebenii is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found in Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Sterculioideae is a subfamily of the family Malvaceae containing evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs.
Sterculia apetala, commonly known as the Panama tree, camoruco, manduvi tree or anacagüita, is a species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. It is found in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean islands. Sterculia apetala is recognized as the national tree of the Republic of Panama.
Sterculia monosperma, also known as Chinese chestnut, Thai chestnut, seven sisters' fruit, and phoenix eye fruit, is a deciduous tropical nut-bearing tree of genus Sterculia.
Sterculia foetida is a soft wooded tree that can grow up to 35 metres tall. It was described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. Common names for the plant are the bastard poon tree, java olive tree, hazel sterculia, wild almond tree, and skunk tree. This is the type species of the genus Sterculia and both names mean bad-smelling: the name Sterculia comes from Sterquilinus, the Roman god of fertilizer or manure.
Sterculia villosa, the hairy sterculia, or elephant rope tree, known vernacularly as Sardol, Udal, or Udar in Northeast India, is a medium-sized, monoecious tree. A leaf from this plant is characterized by a petiole about 25–40 cm long and by a lamina composed of 5-7-lobes, approximately 20–40 cm long and wide. The leaves are glabrescent on the top but tomentose on the bottom. The elephant rope tree's panicles are about 15–30 cm long, rusty in color and pendulous. Its flowers are unisexual and have pedicels about 4–8 mm long and thread-like bracteoles; the flowers are easily detached and tend to be shed at an early stage. Its seeds are oblong, smooth, and black. It is distributed throughout India and Bangladesh, although it is cultivated elsewhere due to its fast-spreading nature.
Sterculia urens is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to India and has been introduced into Burma. A small to medium-sized tree with a pale-coloured trunk, it is commonly known as the bhutyā (भुत्या) in Marathi, kulu, Indian tragacanth, gum karaya, katira, sterculia gum or kateera gum. The specific name urens refers to the stinging hairs present on the flowers.
Sterculia balanghas is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to India and Sri Lanka. Leaves are simple, alternate; swollen at base and tipped; lamina elliptic, obovate, oblong, elliptic-ovate or oblong-ovate; base subcordate or round; apex acuminate; with entire margin. Flowers may be unisexual or polygamous are yellow or greenish-purple in color. Inflorescence show terminal or axillary panicles. Orange to red colored fruit is oblong and seeds are black in color.
Sterculia hypochroa is a tree species described by Pierre, belonging to the genus Sterculia and the family Malvaceae. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life. These trees are found in Vietnam, where they are known as trôm quạt.
Sterculia africana is a deciduous tree, belonging to the genus Sterculia and the family Malvaceae. The species is sometimes called the "mopopaja tree". It is distributed throughout Northeast Africa to Arabia.
