250  ON  STORAX. 
by  Dioscorides  in  the  first  century,  refers.*  In  fact,  it  is  not  un- 
reasonable to  suppose  that  a  tree  so  nearly  allied  to  that  produc- 
ing Benzoin,  should  be  capable  of  affording  an  analogous  pro- 
duct. 
That  it  may  under  certain  favorable  circumstances  exude  a 
fragrant  resin,  even  in  France  and  Italy,  we  know  from  the  posi- 
tive testimony  of  two  authors,  the  first  of  whom,  Duhamel,  has 
written  in  these  words  : 
"  J'ai  trouve  en  Provence,  pres  de  la  Chartreuse  de  Montrieu,  sur  de 
gros  Aliboufiers,  des  ecoulements  assez  considerables  d'un  baume  tres- 
odorant.  II  n'est  pas  douteux,  ce  me  semble,  que  ces  Aliboufiers  ne  four- 
nissont  du  Storax."j" 
The  second  author  is  the  Abbe'  Mazeas  who,  in  a  communica- 
tion under  date  18  Jan.  1769  addressed  to  the  Journal  des 
Scavans,%  states  that  on  a  plain  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tivoli, 
near  Rome,  sheltered  on  the  N.  and  N.E.  by  a  chain  of  moun- 
tains contiguous  to  Monte  Genarro,  Rocco  Giovane,  S.  Polo,  &c, 
which  form  a  semi-circle  open  to  the  south, — in  fact,  in  a  very 
warm  situation, — the  Styrax  shrub  yields  by  incisions  in  its  bark 
the  valued  exudation  known  as  Styrax  en  larmes. 
As  the  account  of  Storax  left  us  by  Dioscorides,  who  was  a 
native  of  Cilicia,  one  of  the  countries  affording  the  drug,  is  im- 
portant, I  will  here  give  its  literal  translation,  subjoining  in  a 
note  the  Latin  text  of  Sprengel,  the  latest  commentator  upon 
that  author. 
[This  Latin  has  been  omitted  to  gain  space. — Ed.] 
Storax  is  the  exudation  of  a  certain  tree  resembling  a  quince  tree.  It  is 
preferred  yellow  and  shining,  resinous,  having  whitish  lumps,  retaining 
*  Perhaps  I  ought  to  except  Professor  Orphanides  of  Athens,  who  has 
hinted  that  the  text  of  Dioscorides  on  the  subject  of  Storax,  requires  cor- 
rection.   Bulletin  de  la  Societe  Botanique  de  France.    T.  iij.  p.  147. 
f  Traites  des  Arbres.  Paris,  1755.  4to.  T.  ij.  p.  289.  Montrieu  or  Mon- 
trieux  is  a  little  place  about  10  miles  to  the  north  of  Toulon,  in  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Var.    In  this  neighborhood,  the  Styrax  grows  wild. 
In  order  to  endeavor  to  obtain  an  authentic  specimen  of  the  exudation  of 
Styrax  officinale,  I  wrote  to  my  friend  Dr,  Planchon  of  Montpellier,  who  at 
my  suggestion  kindly  caused  incisions  to  be  made  during  the  hottest  part 
of  last  summer,  in  the  trunk  and  branches  of  a  large  and  fine  Styrax  grow- 
ing in  the  Botanic  Garden  there.  The  experiment  was  quite  unsuccess- 
ful: neither  aqueous  sap  nor  resinous  juice  flowed  from  the  incisions. 
J  Vol.  for  1769,  p.  105. 
