Benzoin. 
/  Am.  Jour.  Pharrn. 
I       Jan.,  1891. 
prefer,  and  I  shall  also  try  to  obtain  specimens  of  flowers  for  the 
Herbarium. 
In  conclusion,  I  may  say  that  I  noticed  at  least  two  species  of 
dwarf  aloe  intermixed  with  the  large  plants  of  A.  ferox.  One  of 
these  is  common  all  over  the  colony,  the  other  I  had  not  previously 
noticed,  and  I  was  unable  to  identify  either.  All  accounts,  however, 
agree  that  the  leaves  of  these  species  are  never  taken,  nor  would  it 
pay  to  do  so,  as  they  would  require  some  searching  for,  while 
A.  ferox  abounds  in  every  direction.  Their  leaves  also  are  few,  and 
comparatively  small,  and  would  not  be  worth  the  trouble  of  col- 
lecting. 
BENZOIN. 
By  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. 
The  specimen  of  Palembang  benzoin,  sent  by  Dr.  M.  Treub  (Direc- 
tor of  the  Government  Botanic  Gardens  in  Java)  to  the  British 
Pharmaceutical  Society,  is  scarcely  a  typical  sample  of  the  product 
as  met  with  under  that  name  in  the  London  market.  It  has  lost  the 
opalescent  translucency  on  the  outer  surface,  but  has  the  same  lus- 
trous fracture  as  Palembang  benzoin,  although  darker  in  color,  as  if 
it  had  been  kept  and  exposed  to  the  light  for  some  time.  It  con- 
tains two  or  three  white  angular  tears  like  those  of  Siamese  benzoin, 
but  the  latter  do  not  show  any  evidence  of  exposure  to  light. 
The  interesting  point  about  Palembang  benzoin  is,  that  while  it 
has  the  same  odor  as  ordinary  "  Sumatra  "  benzoin,  it  is  more  trans- 
lucent and  appears  to  contain  a  considerable  amount  of  moisture, 
freshly  broken  specimens  readily  becoming  mouldy  when  placed  in 
a  closed  glass  vessel.  So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  only  one 
species  of  benzoin  tree  is  commonly  known  at  Palembang,  and  that, 
judging  from  specimens  presented  to  the  Society's  Herbarium  by 
Mr.  R.  Jamie,  in  1883,  is  undoubtedly  Styrax  Benzoin,  Dry.,  as  well 
as  from  the  specimens  from  Java  sent  by  Dr.  Treub,  since  they  have 
the  globular  fruits  characteristic  of  that  species.  If  the  Palembang 
and  Sumatra  bezoins  of  commerce  are  derived  from  the  same  tree, 
there  is  probably  some  difference  in  the  mode  of  preparation  ;  the 
Palembang  variety  may,  perhaps,  be  melted  into  blocks  in  hot  water, 
and  the  Sumatra  by  artificial  heat ;  and  this  might  account  for  the 
moisture  present  in  the  former  and  the  larger  percentage  of  benzoic 
acid  that  it  generally  affords,  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  any 
