Chicle,gumthat consists of the coagulated milkylatexof thesapodillatree(Manilkara zapota), a tropical American fruit tree principally fromYucatánand regions ofCentral America. Chicle is obtained as pinkish to reddish brown pieces and is said to contain bothrubberandgutta-percha. Introduced as a substitute for rubber, chicle was imported to theUnited Statesin quantity as the principal ingredient ofchewing gumby about 1890, but in the 1940s it was largely replaced bysyntheticproducts. The latex is collected by making deep intersecting zigzag cuts in thebarkto a height of 10 metres (30 feet) or more up the trunk. The "milk" runs slowly to a receptacle at the base.Chicle,gumthat consists of the coagulated milkylatexof thesapodillatree(Manilkara zapota), a tropical American fruit tree principally fromYucatánand regions ofCentral America. Chicle is obtained as pinkish to reddish brown pieces and is said to contain bothrubberandgutta-percha. Introduced as a substitute for rubber, chicle was imported to theUnited Statesin quantity as the principal ingredient ofchewing gumby about 1890, but in the 1940s it was largely replaced bysyntheticproducts. The latex is collected by making deep intersecting zigzag cuts in thebarkto a height of 10 metres (30 feet) or more up the trunk. The "milk" runs slowly to a receptacle at the base.