Balata

Balata is a vegetable gum used as a substitute for gutta-percha, being at once ductile and elastic. It goes under the name of bully. Used as a substitute for rubber, this dried sap is produced from a tree of the same name. It is a tropical tropical American tree, known for the edible fruit it bears, and the latex it produces. It belongs to the family Sapotaceae, in which there are several species. One of them, Manilkara bidentata, is the best known species.