Posted by Gus on 3/20/2009, 11:58 pm, in reply to ""Gum" name origin." Link: Eucalyptologics: Info resources on eucalypt cultivation worldwide
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Yes Barrie 
There it goes the tale!
In the early days of the exploration of Australia, before the settlement, and before eucalypts were even named as such, a naturalist saw kino oozing from a gum tree.
A similar looking substance was in those early days a luxury export from the far east to the old Europe: shellac, or gum-lacque, or gum-lac. It was used, among other things, in the fine cabinet making industry, to polish wood. And... by the days of those early trade-driven explorations... the French were sourcing it from fig trees in India 
The report of that naturalist after sailing back home ended up in the hands of Sir Joseph Banks... and from there, as it is usually said... it became history The fact that kino was to gum lac as iron pyrite to gold... is another story
Cheers
Gus
PS: Maybe it is about time to post on this subject at Eucalyptologics, and show you pics of the actual place it happened, including some of the trees?
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