Babul

Description

Any of several acacia trees, such as Acacia arabica or Acacia nilotica, that produce gums, dyes, and tannins. Babul gum is similar to Gum arabic. A dark brown juice pressed from the fruit of these trees contains about 12% tannins (gallic and tannic acids) and a dark red-brown water soluble dye. The tree bark is also a useful source of tannins and dyes.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Natural Brown 3:3 (bark); Natural Brown 3:4 (pods); babool; bablah; neb-neb; acacia (It.)

Resources and Citations

• Helmut Schweppe, Schweppe color collection index and information book Comment: Natural Brown 3:3 from bark and Natural Brown 3:4 from pods

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• F. Crace-Calvert, Dyeing and Calico Printing, Palmer & Howe, London, 1876