Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Natural gums are hydrophilic polysaccharides exuded by certain forest trees in response to mechanical injury or physiological stress.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. Katira gum is a commercially valuable, water-soluble, swelling-type natural gum.
2. It is obtained from the tree Cochlospermum religiosum (commonly known as the Yellow Silk Cotton tree or Katira tree).
3. Upon tapping or injury to the bark, the tree exudes a pale, semi-transparent gum that swells in water to form a thick mucilage.
4. This gum is widely used in the food, textile, and pharmaceutical industries as a thickener and stabilizer.
5. Other choices yield different gums: Acacia nilotica yields Gum Arabic, and Bauhinia retusa yields Semla gum.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Katira gum is harvested from the tree Cochlospermum religiosum.