604 ORD. XXXVI. Dumose. amyris GILEADENSIS. 
Mr. Bruce informs us, that Balm-tree is a native of Abyssinia, 
growing among the myrrh-trees behind Azab, all along the coast, 
to the Straits of Babelmandeb; and that it was early transplanted 
into the South of Arabia; and-into Judea 1000 years before the 
Queen of Saba, who, according. to Josephus, gave this tree, among 
other presents, to king Solomon. 
Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Pliny, and even the Arabian phy- 
sicians, supposed this Balsam to be the produce of Judea only ; and 
hence it seems to have received the name of Balsamum Judaicum, 
or Balm of Gilead. Forskal, who first discovered this tree to 
belong to the genus Amyris, transmitted a branch of it to Linnzus, 
which on being broken smelled strongly of the Balsam; the leaves 
were all ternate, like those of the annexed figure, which corresponds 
exactly with the specimen in the possession of Sir Joseph Banks. 
Besides this tree, which was found at Gidda, another was observed 
at —— differing only from that found at Gidda, in having pin- 
nat he former was first described by Linnzus in his 
Mantes, under the na : under that of 
A. Opobalsamum ; the name which he ‘a adopted in his Materia 
Medica. 
Whether these two species, the difference of which is ssippioacd 
to consist merely in the number of their foliola, are really the same 
or not, we cannot undertake to determine; but: judging from 
analogy we should decide in the affirmative; for even in the figure 
of this tree, given by Alpinus, to which Linnzus refers the A. 
Opobalsamum, the number of the leafits varies much, being five, 
seven, and sometimes three; and in that published by Mr. Bruce, 
the larger leaves consist of five leafits, but the smaller only of three. 
' The description of the Balsam of Mecca-tree, lately given by 
Gleditsch, differs from that of all other writers: he removes it from 
the genus Amyris, as not having the characters of that family ;* we 
shall therefore leave this author without making any further remark, 
* See Schrift. d. Berlin, Gesellschaft Naturforsch. Freunde. val. 3. p. 103, 
