148 ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON STORAX. 



1863. the other in the neighbourhood of Rome. I have also ascer- 

 tained within the last few weeks from Dr. Kotschy, of Vienna, 

 that in the neighbourhood of Alexandretta, the Styrax, which 

 Solid Storax. there grows to a tree, still yields its odorous resin. On the other 

 hand, I am bound to acknowledge that the endeavours I have 

 hitherto used to obtain the resin from trees in the south of 

 France, Asia Minor and Syria have not been successful. In 

 Syria it is now rare to find the Styrax forming anything better 

 than a large bush, owing to the practice of cutting it periodically 

 for fuel, and though I have myself examined many such bushes 

 I have failed to find upon their stems any exudation. I believe, 

 however, that where the Styrax attains the dimensions of a tree, 

 better results will be obtained and the correctness of the ancient 

 accounts will be fully vindicated. Not only does the statement 

 of Dioscorides that the Storax-tree resembles a quince indicate 

 that he could not possibly have had the Liquidambar in view, 

 but moreover the allusion made by him, and especially by Pliny 

 to localities in Syria where Styrax trees, but not Liquidambar, 

 are still found, lends some weight to the argument. The geogra- 

 phical distribution of Liquidambar orientate is very restricted, 

 in which respect it differs from Styrax. In the extreme south- 

 west of Asia Minor it is gregarious, forming forests of from 20 

 statement by to 60 feet in height. Dr. Kotschy informs me that he has 

 ^f Hernia y reason to believe it occurs at Narkislik, a village near Alex- 

 andretta and also on the Orontes. He also tells me that 

 six fine old trees, certainly planted, exist at the convent of 

 Antiphoniti on the north coast of Cyprus, but that there are no 

 other in the vicinity: that the tree is there called f v\ov TOV 

 'E061/T77 (Governor's wood), and that it and the bark are used 

 as incense in the churches. He adds that there are two trees 

 of the same kind at the convent of Neophiti near Papho, but 

 no others on the island. Professor Krinos states that the 

 Liquidambar is common in Syria, a fact which is not borne 

 out by the researches of botanists who have visited that 

 country, 1 not one of whom has noticed its occurrence. 



1 As Boissier, Gaillardot, Blanche, Roth, Bove, Michon, De Saulcy, Lynch, 

 Erdel, Ehrenberg, Hooker, &c. 



