Trăg′a-cănth, n.

n. [Fr. tragacanthe, Lat. tragacanthum, tragacantha, Gr. τραγάκανθα, from τράγος, a he-goat, and ἄκανθα, a thorn.] The concrete juice or gum of several species of shrubby or herbaceous plants of the genus Astragalus, especially A. Creticus, A. verus, and A. gummifer, found in various parts of the northern hemisphere out of the tropics, being especially abundant in Siberia. It is usually in the form of white or yellowish semi-transparent flakes, or curled vermicular pieces, of great toughness. When steeped in water, in which it is but partly soluble, it swells into a bulky, mucilaginous mass, which, when boiled with water, gradually acquires the consistence of ordinary gum. It is used for many of the purposes for which gum-arabic is ordinarily employed. Rogers. Baird. Tomlinson.