78 THE TREES AND SHRUBS [LECT. 



family of Terebinthacece must be admitted to be in- 

 digenous in the south of Europe. Amongst these 

 is the P. lentiscus, a shrub frequent in Greece, in 

 Sicily, and in Italy, near Nice. In the Island of 

 Chios this plant affords the resinous substance 

 called Mastic, which exudes from the bark when 

 incisions are made in it, and is used, as of old, for 

 a dentifrice, giving a sweet scent to the breath 

 when chewed. 



Another species is the P. terelinthus, from which 

 a species of turpentine is obtained, of a more agree- 

 able odour, and therefore more highly prized, than 

 the so-called Venice turpentine. Dioscorides calls it 



Pliny alludes to the P. Lentiscus in several 

 places, as in lib. xii. 36, and in lib. xiv. 20 ; and 

 Theophrastus d seems to apply the term ^ylvos 

 to the same plant, which also appears to be the 

 one intended by Theocritus in Idylls v. and vii. 



Dioscorides also uses for the Lentiscus the same 

 name, which must not be confounded with crxoivo?, 

 the Scirpus holoschoenus of L., according to Sibthorp ; 

 the AnJropogon nardus or schcenanthus of Fee. 



Theophrastus 6 likewise mentions the P. terelin- 

 thus, under the names of TepepivOo? and TtpfjuvOos, 

 noticing the male and the female tree, and stating 

 that in Mount Ida and in Macedonia it is small, 

 whilst in Damascus and Syria it is large and fine. 

 In the latter country whole mountains are covered 

 by it. 



" Lib. ix. e H. PI., iii. 14. 



