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MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



Styracaceae. Styrax Family. 



Mostly tropical shrubs or trees with regular perfect, or polygamo-dioecious 

 flowers; calyx free or adherent to the ovary; corolla gamopetalous, or poly- 

 petalous; the lobes or petals 4-8; stamens twice as many as the lobes of the 

 corolla, or more, inserted on its tube or base; the filaments monadelphous, or 

 in 4-S sets ; style 1 ; ovary 2-5-celled ; fruit a berry or drupe. 



About 75 species and 7 genera, few of them native to the United States. 

 Several species are cultivated for ornamental purposes, especially the snow- 

 drop or silver bell tree {Haiesia Carolina) which is a small tree native to the 

 southern states. Styrax Bensoin is obtained from Sumatra and Java, benzoin 

 being obtained by cutting incisions into the plant, from which a resin exudes 

 and soon hardens by exposure to the air. Bensoin is used chiefly as incense in 

 the service of the Greek Church. 



Fig. 392. Black Ash {Fraxinus nigra). 1. Flowering branch of 

 staminate tree. 2. Flowering hranch of pistillate tree. 3. Pistillate 

 flower showing rudimentary stamens, enlarged. 4. Longitudinal section 

 of ovary, enlarged. 5. Fruiting branch. 6. Longitudinal section of 

 fruit. 7. Embryo. 8. Winter branchlet. 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, one-half natural 

 size. (M. M. Cheney in Green's Forestry of Minnesota.) 



