STYRACINE^. I. STY'RAX. 



ledons, and a thick superior radicle. Albumen fleshy. Elegant 

 trees or shrubs, usually clothed with stellate tomentum. Leaves 

 entire, alternate, exstipulate. Peduncles axillary or terminal, one 

 or many-flowered. Flowers racemose, bracteate, white or cream- 

 coloured. The Styrax officinale, affords the officinal storax of 

 Asiatic Turkey, and S. Benzoin the fragrant resin of that name. 

 This order is very nearly allied to Halesiaceae, but differs by the 

 decidedly superior ovarium, in the more deeply cleft corolla ; and 

 from SymplocinecB in the superior ovarium, and entire or slightly 

 lobed calyx, and in the stamens being fewer and monadelphous. 



I. STY'RAX (orvpal, styrax, of Theophrastus and Dioscori- 

 des ; the name is a mere alteration of assthirak, the Arabic 

 name of S. officinale). Lin. gen. no. 595. Tourn. t. 369. 

 Juss. gen 156. Gaertn. fruct. 1. p. 284. t. 59. 



LIN. SYST. Decdndria, Monogynia. Character the same as 

 that of the order. 



* A species native of Europe. 



1 S. OFFICINA'LE (Lin. spec. FIG. 2. 



635.) leaves ovate, clothed 

 with hoary villi beneath, shining 

 and green above ; racemes sim- 

 ple and axillary, 5-6-flowered, 

 shorter than the leaves. > H. 

 Native of Italy and the Levant. 

 Cav. diss. 6. p. 338. t. 188. f. 2. 

 Woodv. med. hot. 197. t. 71. 

 Church et Stev. med. bot. 1. 

 t. 47. Andr. bot. rep. 631. 

 Lodd. bot. cab. 928. Plench, 

 icon. 341. Mill. fig. 260. Lob. 

 icon. 151. Leaves about 2 

 inches long. Flowers white. 

 Drupe ovate, globose. 



The S. officinale is chiefly remarkable for producing the 

 very powerful and fragrant balsam called storax. It is a native 

 of Syria and the Levant, and is not uncommon all over Greece 

 and the Peloponnesus, being known by the name of \ayofin\ia 

 in modern Greek. It is naturalized in hedges in some parts of 

 Italy, particularly about Tivoli. The finest tree of this species 

 in Britain is in the Apothecaries' Garden at Chelsea. 



The best storax comes from Asiatic Turkey, and is obtained 

 in a fluid state, from incisions made in the bark of the trunk or 

 branches of the storax-tree. It is brought from Turkey ; but 

 is so adulterated that it is very rarely met with in a pure state. 

 Storax is bitter and pungent to the taste, and has a strong fra- 

 grant odour. Two sorts of balsam are found in the markets 

 storax in the tear, and common storax in larger masses ; this 

 has been called " storax in the lump," " red storax," and the 

 separate tears, " storax in the tear." The former is very rarely 

 in separate tears, but in masses, composed of white and pale 

 reddish tears, or having a uniform reddish-yellow or brownish 

 appearance, being unctuous to the touch, soft, like wax, and free 

 from visible impurities. This is the trrvpaZ mXafiirris of the 

 ancient Greeks. According to Galen it was formerly brought 

 from Pamphylia, in hollow canes or reeds, whence it was called 

 Styrax calamita. It is preferred to the common storax, in 

 larger masses, which are lighter, less compact than the preced- 

 ing, and have a large admixture of woody matter, like saw dust. 

 Although the impurities of this kind of storax render it less 

 valuable, it is not less useful, and when purified, its medical 

 qualities are no less potent. Storax should be chosen of a 

 reddish brown colour, rather softish, unctuous to the to_uch, yet 



brittle and friable, and of a pleasant sweet smell. On ac- 

 count of its yielding a pleasant odour of Benzoic acid, when 

 ignited, it is much used in Roman Catholic countries for in- 

 cense. Spirits dissolve it entirely ; it consists principally of resin, 

 with a small portion of Benzoic acid. The directions of the 

 London Pharmacopoeia for purifying storax are : 



" Dissolve Balsam of storax in rectified spirit and strain it ; 

 then distil offtlie spirit by a gentle heat until the balsam acquires 

 a proper consistence." It may not be improper here to observe, 

 that the storax of the Pharmacopoeia ought not to be con- 

 founded with the storax of commerce, which is a liquid balsam, 

 said to be obtained from Liquiddmber styraciftua. 



Storax is stimulating and expectorant, and was formerly pre- 

 scribed for asthma and chronic affections of the windpipe ; for 

 amenorrhcea, &c. It is so far discarded from practice as hardly 

 ever to be used, and is justly designated by Dr. Thomson, as 

 a useless article in the list of Materia Medica. 



Officinal Storax. Fl. July. Clt. 1597. Tree 12 to 15 feet. 



* Species natives of North America. 



2 S. GRANDIFOLIUM (Ait. hort. kew. 2. p. 75.) leaves broad, 

 obovate, acuminated, green above, but clothed with hoary to- 

 mentum beneath ; lower peduncles solitary, 1 -flowered. Tj . H. 

 Native of South Carolina. Lodd. bot. cab. t. 1016. Wats. dend. 

 brit. t. 129. S. officinale, Walt. fl. car. 140. S. grandiflo- 

 rum, Michx. fl. bor. amer. 2. p 41. Flowers white. 



Great-leaved Storax. Fl. Jul. Cult. 1765. Tree 12 to 15 feet. 



3 S. I^EVIGA'TUM (Ait. hort. kew. 2. p. 75. Willd. spec. 2. p. 

 624.) leaves oval-lanceolate, acute at both ends, glabrous on both 

 surfaces, toothed; peduncles axillary, solitary or twin, 1-flowered. 

 Jj . H. Native of South Carolina and Virginia, in swamps. 

 Lodd. bot. cab. 960. Wats, dendr. brit. t. 40. S. octandrum, 

 Lher. stirp. nov. 2. t. 17. S. glabrum, Cav. diss. C. p. 340. t. 

 188. f. 1. S. Ise've, Walt. fl. car. 140. S. Americanum, Lam. 

 diet. 1. p. 82. Stamens from 6 to 10. 



Smooth-leaved Storax. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1765. Shrub 3 to 

 4 feet. 



4 S. PULVERULE'NTUM (Michx. fl. amer. bor. 1. p. 41. Wats, 

 dendr. brit. 41.) leaves almost sessile ovate or obovate, obtuse; 

 clothed with powdery tomentum beneath ; flowers axillary and 

 nearly terminal by threes on short pedicels. Jj . H. Native of 

 Virginia and Carolina, in woods. S. laevigatum, Curt. bot. 

 mag. 921. 



Powdery Storax. Fl. Ju. Aug. Clt. 1794. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



* * * Species natives of South America. 



5 S. TOMENTOSUM (Humb. et Bonpl. pi. aequin. 2. p. 72. 

 t. 101. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. 3. p. 264.) leaves oblong or 

 ovate-oblong, acute, glabrous above, but clothed with' white to- 

 mentum beneath ; racemes axillary, simple, 5-8-flowers. (7 . S. 

 Native of Quito near Malacates. Pedicles, peduncles, and rachi, 

 clothed with whitish or rusty tomentum, and the calyx with white 

 tomentum. Flowers white. Leaves 3^- to 4-J- inches long. 



Tomentose Storax. Tree 30 to 40 feet. 



6 S. FLO'RIDUM (Pohl. pi. bras. 2. p. 54. t. 134.) leaves ob- 

 long-elliptic, attenuated at both ends, glabrous above, but clothed 

 beneath with greenish-hoary down ; racemes axillary, simple, 

 erectly spreading ; calyx clothed with rusty tomentum. Jj . G. 

 Native of Brazil, in the province of Goyaz, among bushes in 

 mountainous places. Corollas yellowish-white. 



Flowery Storax. Tree 10 feet. 



7 S. FERRUGINEUM (Pohl. 1. c. p. 55. t. 135.) leaves oblong- 

 ovate, acute, rather attenuated at the base, glabrous above, but 

 greenish-grey beneath, and dotted from tufts of rusty tomentum; 

 racemes axillary, very short, few flowered ; peduncles and calyxes 

 clothed with hoary yellow tomentum. I? . G. Native of Brazil, 



