Flora Medica

BURSERACEJE.336. P. Kataf. Amyris Kataf Forsk. 80. BalsamodendronKataf. Kunth 1. c.DC.prodr. ii. 76. Balsamodendron MyrrhaN.and E. handb. iii. 122. PL med. t. 357- Arabia, nearBeit el fakih ; Gison on the borders of Arabia Felix.A white-wooded tree without spines. Leaflets ternate, blunt oracute, serrated at the end. Peduncles corymbose at the ends of thebranches, filiform, for the space of an inch simple, afterwards dichotomouslybranched. Teeth of calyx lanceolate, the length of the tube.Fruit globose, with a depressed umbilicus at the point,Forsk. shortstalked,smooth, brown, ovate, rather larger than a pea, N. and E.According to Ehrenberg this is the plant that yields myrrh, whichexudes from the bark, like gum from the bark of a cherry tree ; itpromotes the appetite, creates an agreeable warmth in the stomach,and occasions slight constipation.It is supposed that the Indian Bdellium, a gum resin resemblingMyrrh, is obtained from some tree of this genus. For African Bdelliumsee Heudelotia africana.CANARIUM.Flowers polygamous- dioecious. Calyx campanulate, 3-lobed ;lobes unequal. Petals 3, inserted under the disk, twice as long asthe calyx, oblong, concave : aestivation imbricative. Stamens 6,inserted under the disk, shorter than the petals, unequal.Torus an urceolate disk at the bottom of the calyx. Ovarysessile, ovate-globose, 3-celled. Style very short, or wanting.Stigma 3-lobed. Fruit a drupe : sarcocarp thin, somewhat fleshy:nut very hard, 3-angled, 3-celled (2 of the cells often abortive).Seed solitaryin each perfect cell. Cotyledons intricately folded,deeply 3-cleft. Trees. Leaves unequally pinnated, upperones with large deciduous stipules. Flowers panicled bracteolated.W, and A.337. C. commune Linn. mant. 177. Konig. in ann. bot.i. 260. t. 7. f. 2. Roxb. fl.ind. iii. 137. DC. prodr.ii. 79.W.andA.\. 175. Amyris zeylanica Retz. obs. iv. 25. Balsamodendronzeylanicum DC. prodr.ii. 76. Colophonia mauritianaDC. prodr.ii. 79. Bursera paniculata Lam. encycl. ii. 768.Continent of India ;Indian Archipelago and islands.(Boisde Colophane in the Isle of France.)A small tree. Leaflets 7-11, on long stalks, ovate-oblong, acute orshortly acuminated, quite entire, smooth ; stipules oval. Panicleterminal, divaricating. Flowers 2-3 together, almost sessile, whenyoung covered over by broad ovate concave silky bracteolge. Calyxexternally silky. Drupes oblong, black. The bark yields an abundanceof limpid oil, with a pungent turpentine smell, congealing in abuttery camphoraceous substance; it has the same properties asbalsam of copaiba. Raw fruit eatable, but apt to bring on diarrhea.Said to yield East Indian Elcmi.