Our High Quality Arabic Gum is not treated by heat and is in its natural state and comes from a deciduous shrubby tree native to the semi-desert regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as north-western India. The tree reaches a height of between 7-15 metres; the bark of older trees is gnarly and dark grey in colour, smooth on younger trees. The leaves are bi-pinnate, up to 2.5cm in length and comprised of 3-8 paired pinnacles each with 5-25 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet is 1-9mm in length and light to mid-green in colour. The tree flowers only during the rainy season, the 5-petaled, 2-lipped flowers form spiked drooping panicles approximately 5-10cm in length and yellowish-white in colour. The fruits 1.5-9cm in length, and are flat, papery and yellowish to brown in colour.