Flora Medica

STYRACEJE.seldom 10, exserted ;filaments united to the tube of the corolla,sometimes adhering at the base into a ring;anthers linear,2-celled, opening by internal longitudinal slits. Style simple.Stigma obtuse, somewhat lobed. Drupe dry, splitting imperfectlyinto 2 or 3 valves, with 1-2-3 stones. Seed solitary,erect, with a large leafy thin embryo lying in the midst of fleshyalbumen, with an inferior radicle.799. S. officinale Linn, sp.pl. 635. 188.Cav. diss. vi. 339. t.f. 2. WilM. ii. 623. Bot. rep.t. 631. Woodv. t. 71. Fl Grcec.t. 375. The Levant ;Syria, Palestine ;common all over Greeceand the Peloponnesus.A small tree with a smooth bark and downy shoots. Leaves alternate,ovate, green and smooth above, whitish with soft down underneath ;with short downy stalks. Racemes terminal, downy, with angularpedicels. Calyx hoary, almost hemispherical, rather angular at thebase ;with 5-7 very short marginal teeth. Corolla white, externallyhoary with 5-6-7 ; segments, Fruit downy, with 1 or 2 nuclei.Storax, a fragrant resinous balsamic substance, is obtained in AsiaMinor from the branches by incision it is brownish; red, friable, butsoft and unctuous and is considered a stimulating expectorant, beingsupposed to influence the mucous membrane of the air passages. It ischiefly employed in affections of the organs of respiration. The treedoes not form the secretion in this country.800. S. Benzoin Dryand. in Phil, trans, v. Ixxvii. 308. t. 12.Woodv. t. 72. Benzoin officinale Hayne Sumatra, Borneo,Siam, Java.Branches round, tomentose. Leaves alternate, stalked, oblong,perfectly entire, acuminated, above smooth, beneath tomentose, a palmlong. Footstalks round, striated, channelled, tomentose, very short.Racemes axillary, compound, nearly the length of the leaves : commonfootstalks tomentose ; partial alternate, spreading, tomentose. Pedicelsvery short. Flowers on one side. Calyx campanulated, very obscurely5-toothed, outwardly tomentose; above a line in depth. Petals 5,(perhapsconnate at the base) linear, obtuse, outwardly grey with veryfine down, four times longer than the calyx. Filaments 10, inserted intothe receptacle, rather shorter than the petals, beneath connate into acylinder of the length of the calyx, ciliated on the upper part below theanthers. Anthers linear, longitudinally adnate to the petals, and shorterby half than they. Ovary superior, ovate, tomentose. Style filiform,longer than the stamens. Stigma simple. Dryander. The resinousacrid substance called Benzoin is a secretion from the bark. It is a localirritant, its vapour causing violent coughing. It acts as a stimulant,more particularlyas issupposed to the lungs. It is chiefly used in themanufacture of paregoric elixir, and in coating over the adhesive plastercalled court plaster. It has been used in some uterine complaints, aschlorosis. A favourite cosmetic is Virgin's milk, which is prepared bymixing 1 drachm of the simple tincture of benzoin with 4 ounces ofwater. Pereira. Constitutes the basis of Turlington balsam, whosevery salutary effects, particularly in healing green and other wounds, is390