THE TORCHWOOD FAMILY 



BURSERACE^ Kunth 



JURSERACE^ consist of about 20 genera, embracing some 200 species 

 of resinous tropical trees, with alternate odd-pinnate leaves, not 

 punctate with pellucid dots. The flowers are small, regular, per- 

 fect or dioecious, bome in panicles or racemes. The calyx is com- 

 posed of from 3 to 6 persistent sepals and the corolla of the same number of 

 separate or sometimes slightly united petals; there is a cup-Uke or ring- like disk, 

 and the stamens are usually twice as many as the petals, and have separate sub- 

 ulate filaments; the ovary is superior, 2-celled to 5-celled, with 2 pendulous 

 ovules in each cavity, the stigma 2-lobed to 5-lobed. The fruit is rather fleshy 

 and drupe-like, but usually splits into valves when quite ripe, exposing the seed. 

 There is only one species of tree of this family in our area. The aromatic 

 gummy sap foimd in practically all of the plants of the family is usually mani- 

 fested by an exudation on the surface of the bark and twigs, especially when 

 wounded, and this has been largely employed in medicine and the arts. Besides the 

 several kinds that are of general economic importance a great many are known 

 and used only in the localities where they are native. The most important and 

 best known is myrrh, the product of Commiphora Myrrha (Nees) Engler, and 

 perhaps several other closely related species, from northeastern Africa; it is a gum- 

 resin and is used as a tonic and stimulant, usually in the form of tincture. The 

 so-called gum elemi, is from Canarium commune Linnaeus of the Philippine 

 Islands; olibanum or frankincense is obtained from Boswellia Carterii Birdwell, 

 and probably other closely related species of the same genus also from northeastern 

 Africa. These and several less known commercial products are used principally 

 in the form of plasters. 



WEST INDIAN BIRCH 



GENUS TEREEHrrHnS PATRICK BROWNE 



Species Terebinthus Simamba (Linnaeus) W. F. Wight 



Pistacia Simaruba Linnaeus. Bursera gummifera Jacquin. Bursera Sitnaruba Sargent 



HE so-called West Indian Birch inhabits southern Florida and is widely 

 distributed throughout the West Indies, occurring also in Central 

 America and northern South America; it is also known as Gumbo 

 Limbo and erroneously as Gum Elemi. The tree attains a height of 

 20 meters, with a trunk up to i meter in diameter, but is usually much smaller; 



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