Turpentine was originally obtained predominantly from which tree?
Turpentine τερέβινθος, the name for a species of tree, the terebinth tree. Mineral turpentine or other petroleum distillates are used to replace turpentine, but they are very different chemically. One of the earliest sources was the terebinth or turpentine tree ("Pistacia terebinthus"), a Mediterranean tree related to the pistachio. Important pines for turpentine production include: maritime pine ("Pinus pinaster"), Aleppo pine ("Pinus halepensis"), Masson's pine ("Pinus massoniana"), Sumatran pine ("Pinus merkusii"), longleaf pine ("Pinus palustris"), loblolly pine ("Pinus taeda") and ponderosa pine ("Pinus ponderosa"). Canada balsam, also called Canada turpentine or balsam of fir, is a turpentine which is made from
Turpentine Turpentine Turpentine (also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, wood turpentine and colloquially turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin from live trees, mainly pines. It is mainly used as a solvent and as a source of materials for organic synthesis. Turpentine is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene with lesser amounts of carene, camphene, dipentene, and terpinolene. The word "turpentine" derives (via French and Latin) from the Greek word τερεβινθίνη "terebinthine", the feminine form (to go with the feminine Greek word for resin) of an adjective τερεβίνθινος derived from the Greek noun