Abstract
The present article deals with the observations made in a field survey in a Toba-Batak village at Tapanuli, North Sumatra, concerning the cultivation of benzoin-trees and the processes of manufacturing the commercial blend-benzoins.
Toba-Bataks classify three kinds of benzoin tree according to the quality of the resin, i. e., Hamindjon toba, Hamindjon durame and Hamindjon bulu. Hamindjon toba is identified as Styrax paralleloneurum Perk., which is cultivated at locations above 1000m contour and produces the best quality resin. Hamindjon durame, which is cultivated at lower elevation sites (ca. 500-1000m), produces a lower quality material. It can be identified as Styrax benzoin Dryand. Hamindjon bulu has not been exactly identified, but the morphology and habitat of the tree and the characters of its resin seem to suggest that it may be a kind of natural yhbrid of the two species referred to above.
The resin can be obtained from the trees of 6 to 70 years of age. The quality of the resin is primarily determined by the species of benzoin-tree. The older the trees, however, the lesser the amount of high grade resins.
The commercial blend-benzoins are manufactured by blending different quality resins in various proportions. Even damar, a non-benzoin material, is mixed to fairly high percentages.
