CHAPTER 1

What Plant Resins Are and Are

Not
The literature on resins, although relatively abundant, is not very precise
as far as exact use of terms is concerned. . . . confusion which, in a
way, reflects the complexity of the world of resins.
Jost et al. 1989
To understand the many topics covered in Plant Resins, it is necessary to have
a clear idea of what plant resin is and how it differs from other substances
that have been called resins. Different readers doubtless have different concepts
of what resin is. Some may be surprised at the number of plants that
produce resin (Chapter 2) and consequently at the breadth and depth of the
influence that resins have had throughout history (Chapter 6). The
characterization
of resins has changed greatly with the development of chemical, molecular,
and microscopic technologies to analyze them. Associated with these
technological breakthroughs have been advances in evolutionary and ecological
concepts regarding the functions of resins in plants.