STYRACE^E. 



seldom 10, exserted; filaments united to the tube of the corolla, 

 sometimes adhering at the base into a ring ; anthers linear, 

 2-celled, opening by internal longitudinal slits. Style simple. 

 Stigma obtuse, somewhat lobed. Drupe dry, splitting imper- 

 fectly into 2 or 3 valves, with 1-2-3 stones. Seed solitary, 

 erect, with a large leafy thin embryo lying in the midst of fleshy 

 albumen, with an inferior radicle. 



799. S. officinale Linn, sp.pl. 635. Cav. diss. vi.339. t. 188. 

 f. 2. Willd. ii. 623. Bot. rep. t. 631. Woodv. t. 71. Fl. Grac. 

 t. 375. The Levant ; Syria, Palestine ; common all over Greece 

 and the Peloponnesus. 



A small tree with a smooth bark and downy shoots. Leaves alter- 

 nate, ovate, green and smooth above, whitish with soft down underneath $ 

 with short downy stalks. Racemes terminal, downy, with angular 

 pedicels. Calyx hoary, almost hemispherical, rather angular at the 

 base ; with 5-7 very short marginal teeth. Corolla white, externally 

 hoary ; with 5-6-7 segments, Fruit downy, with 1 or 2 nuclei. 

 Storax, a fragrant resinous balsamic substance, is obtained in Asia 

 Minor from the branches by incision ; it is brownish red, friable, but 

 soft and unctuous and is considered a stimulating expectorant, being 

 supposed to influence the mucous membrane of the air passages. It is 

 chiefly employed in affections of the organs of respiration. The tree 

 does not form the secretion in this country. 



800. S. Benzoin Dryand. in Phil, trans, v. Ixxvii. 308. t. 12, 

 Woodv. t. 72. Benzoin officinale Hayne. Sumatra, Borneo, 

 Siam, Java. 



Branches round, tomentose. Leaves alternate, stalked, oblong, 

 perfectly entire, acuminated, above smooth, beneath tomentose, a palm 

 long. Footstalks round, striated, channelled, tomentose, very short. 

 Racemes axillary, compound, nearly the length of the leaves : common 

 footstalks tomentose ; partial alternate, spreading, tomentose. Pedicels 

 very short. Flowers on one side. Calyx campanulated, very obscurely 

 5-toothed, outwardly tomentose; above a line in depth. Petals 5, 

 (perhaps connate at the base) linear, obtuse, outwardly grey with very 

 fine down, four times longer than the calyx. Filaments 10, inserted into 

 the receptacle, rather shorter than the petals, beneath connate into a 

 cylinder of the length of the calyx, ciliated on the upper part below the 

 anthers. Anthers linear, longitudinally adnate to the petals, and shorter 

 by half than they. Ovary superior, ovate, tomentose. Style filiform, 

 longer than the stamens. Stigma simple. Dryander. The resinous 

 acrid substance called Benzoin is a secretion from the bark. It is a local 

 irritant, its vapour causing violent coughing. It acts as a stimulant, 

 more particularly as is supposed to the lungs. It is chiefly used in the 

 manufacture of paregoric elixir, and in coating over the adhesive plaster 

 called court plaster. It has been used in some uterine complaints, as 

 chlorosis. A favourite cosmetic is Virgin's milk, which is prepared by 

 mixing 1 drachm of the simple tincture of benzoin with 4 ounces of 

 water. Pcrevra. Constitutes the basis of Turlington balsam, whose 

 very salutary effects, particularly in healing green and other wounds, is 



390 



