200 CHINESE ECONOMIC TREES 



BURSERACEAE 



Resinous trees or shrubs. Leaves generally alternate, odd pinnate, 

 3 foliate or rarely simple; stipules absent. Flowers small and mostly 

 numerous, regular, perfect or polygamous; sepals 3-5, more or less 

 united; petals 3-5. Stamens as many as, but more often twice as many 

 as the petals, inserted on the edge or at the base of the disk; disk annular, 

 cup-shaped or rarely absent. Ovary superior 2-5 celled; ovules usually 

 2 in each cell. Fruit drupe-like, indehiscent with a 3-6 celled hard 

 stone, or dehiscent into valves with several stones. Seeds exalbuminous. 



A family containing 16 genera and about 270 species widely dis- 

 tributed throughout the tropics. The bark yields a fragrant resin of 

 commercial importance. 



CANARIUM 



Evergreen, resinous trees. Leaves alternate, odd pinnate with or 

 without stipules. Flowers perfect or polygamous in terminal or axillary 

 panicles. Calyx cup-shaped or cam pan ul ate, usually 3 (rarely 5) parted 

 or lobed; petals 3-5; stamens 6, rarely 10, distinct, inserted on the 

 margin or outside of the disk, or connate by their filaments into a tube. 

 Ovary 2-3 celled; ovules 2 to each cell. Fruit drupe-like, ovoid, 

 slightly 3 sided, with a 1-3 celled, 1-3 seeded stone. 



About 50 species in the tropics of Asia and the Malay Archipelago. 

 Represented in China by 2 species cultivated as fruit trees and generally 

 known as Chinese Olives, although the true olive of the Mediteranean 

 regions belongs to another family. 



Canarium album Raeuschel. 



Bah Lain. " Chinese Olive." 



Tree sometimes attaining a height of 20 m., usually 6-9 m. high with 

 whitish bark and rounded crown. Leaves odd pinnate; leaflets 11-13, 

 oblong-lanceolate, 6.5-10 cm. lung, about 4 cm. wide, finely reticulated 

 above. Flowers in simple racemes, small, short stalked. Fruit ovoid, 

 slightly larger than round, greenish-white when ripe, about -3.5 cm. 

 long, sessile. Stone pointed, slightly angled and grooved. 



This tree produces the Bah Lam of commerce in its various forms. 

 Canarium jrimela Konig is the so-called Chinese Black Olive. Both 

 species occur in a wild state in the Island of Hainan. Hitherto unknown 

 except under cultivation. 



