ELEMI. 189 



viscosity increases. After removal of the essential oil by 

 distillation, the residual resin, when cold, is beautifully transparent 

 and of the colour and general appearance of gelatine. The 

 contraction on cooling is great, as the resin cracks in all directions. 

 In other words it is a brittle resin and it therefore powders with 

 great facility, forming an impalpable powder like Sandarach, with 

 the difference that it is far easier to powder than that substance. 

 The melting point of this residual resin is 75^ to 76^ C." 



Bentham and Hooker* give sixteen genera and two doubtful 

 ones, belonging to the Bicrscracece and speak of the members of 

 the natural order in general as " Arhores v. frutices, scvpe electee, 

 halsamiflum v. oleifercer Lindley speaks of them as " abounding in 

 balsam or resin." 



C. Vitiense, Gray, occurs in Fiji. 



C. Harveyi, Seeman, occurs in Tonga. 



C. edule Hooker fil., is described in Maloney's "Forestry of 

 West Africa " as having " under the bark large masses of scented 

 gum, which is used by the natives in fumigating themselves." The 

 Indian Burseracece are dealt with very fully by A. W. Bennett, in 

 the " Flora of British India," and in his " Xotes on Indian 

 Burseraceae "f he goes even more fully into the matter of exuda- 

 tions of trees belonging to this natural order. As regards 

 Canarinm, Mr. Bennett only refers to the exudations of three 

 species, commune, strictum and Bengalense. C. strictum, Eoxb., 

 yields the well-known black Dammar, found in every museum 

 collection ; it bears no resemblance to elemi or the product of 

 C. Muelleri. C. Bengalense, Eoxb. J exudes a clear, brittle, 

 amber-coloured resin resembling copal. Cooke, § speaking of 

 C. commune, says : — "Commercially, no elemi is derived directly 

 or indirectly from India, and although the tree is found there 

 under the name of 'Java almond,' or Munglee badam ' (its 

 kernels afford on expression a bland edible oil), its resin seems to 

 be unknown"; Dr. Cooke had charcreof the crums and resins in the 



o o 



* Genera Plantarum, i., p. 321. 



t Pliarm. Journ. [3], vi., p. 102. 



Z Kurz., " Forest Flora of British India " ; also Bennett, ojj. cit. 



§ " Gums and Resins of India." 



