H. 0. HAMAMELIDEiE. 535 



N. 0. HAMAMELIDE^]. 



486. Altingia exeelsa, Noronha, h..f.b.i., ii. 

 429. 



Syn. : — Sedgwickia cerasifolia. Griffith. 



Vern. : — Silaras (H.) ; Jutili (Ass.); Neri-uriship-pal (Tarn); 

 Rasa-mala (Mai.); Shila-rasam (Tel. Guz. and Mar). 



Habitat : — Extending from East Bengal to China and Malay. 

 Assam and Bhutan, Pegu, Mergui, Java, Yunnan. 



A tree, 60-100ft. high. Leaves alternate, 3-4fin., elliptically- 

 lanceolate, glabrous, acuminate on both surfaces, or with tufts of 

 hairs in the axils of the nerves beneath. Petiole 1-l^in Flow- 

 ers in dense heads ; heads wrapped by a large bract, male race- 

 mose, female solitary. Male heads : a mass of stamens with very 

 short filaments, probably representing numerous achlamydeous 

 flowers. Anthers obverse — pyramidal, the valves when young 

 turned in till they reach the connective, so that the young stamen 

 is pseudo— 4-celled, dehiscing longitudinally. Female heads 

 of 12-20 flowers ; calyces confluent, without limb. Petals 

 (some rudimentary stamens have been taken for petals). 

 Ovary f-inferior, 2-celled ; styles 2, separate, deciduous. Ovules 

 numerous, axile. Fruit-head globose, harsh. Seeds numerous ; 

 lowest 1-2 of each cell winged, fertile, the upper without wing 

 or embryo. 



Uses : — Yields Ithe resin known as " storax." In orchitis, 



it is not possible to use this semifluid resin on the inflamed 



testicle direct, but it is used over the scrotum and covered over 



with dry tobacco-leaves. I have used it with success in the early 



stages of Hydrocele of the tunica vaginalis. (K. R. K.). 



It contains benzaldehyde, cinnamic acid and cinnamaldehyde, also a resin 

 and a pentosan ; esters are not present.— J. Ch. S. 1902, AT. 111. 



Oriental storax is a mixture of free cinnamic acid, vanillin, styrol, 

 styracin, cinnamic acid— ethyl ester, cinnamic acid— phenolpropyl ester, and 

 storesinol, partly in the free state and partly as cinnamic acid ester. 

 Storesinol has the composition C 16 H 2o - 2 , and melts at 156°— 157°; it is 

 isomeric with the benzoresinol, isolated from benzoin, which melts at 272°C. 



