Styracaceae

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Read about Styracaceae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Styracaceae (from the genus Styrax, the ancient Greek name of the storax tree). Storax Family. Fig. 48. Shrubs or small trees: leaves alternate, simple: flowers bisexual, regular; calyx 4-5-cleft; corolla mostly 4-5-lobed, the lobes almost separate, imbricated or valvate; stamens in one series, hypogynous or epipetalous, twice as many as the lobes of the corolla, rarely just as many, separate or more or less united; ovary superior, rarely half-inferior, 1-celled at the top, 3-5-celled at the bottom; 1, rarely several, ovules in each cell; style 1; stigmas 1-5: fruit a capsular drupe. Six genera and about 100 species are distributed in the warmer regions of South and Central America, southeastern United States, eastern Asia, and the Mediterranean region. The family is very closely related to the Symplocaceae; also to the Ebenaceae and Sapotaceae. The superior, imperfectly several-celled ovary, bisexual flowers and absence of milky juice are distinctive. Fossil species are known. Styrax Benzoin of the East Indies yields the fragrant resin known as benzoin. It is a pathological product of the tree. Some Brazilian species of Styrax and some species of Pamphilia also yield a fragrant resin which is burned as incense in the churches. The storax of the ancients was obtained from Liquidambar orientalis (family Hamamelidaceae). Two or 3 genera are in cultivation in America: Halesia (Silver Bell, Snowdrop Tree), of eastern United States, is hardy; Styrax (Storax) of China, Japan, and America, is semi-hardy. Pterostyrax of Japan is by some referred to Halesia. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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