Styrax officinalis

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Styrax officinalis
Styrax officinalis tree.JPG
S. officinalis in the Menashe hills of Israel
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Styracaceae
Genus: Styrax
Species:
S. officinalis
Binomial name
Styrax officinalis
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • Styrax officinarumCrantz

Styrax officinalis is a species of shrub in the family Styracaceae, commonly called the storax tree. [2]

Contents

Description

Styrax officinalis is a deciduous shrub reaching a height of 2–5 metres (6 ft 7 in – 16 ft 5 in). [2] It has a simple, relaxed form, with very thin elliptical leaves 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 3.5–5.5 cm (1+12–2 in) wide, alternate and widely spaced on thin, reddish stems, with a tight, dark bark on basal stems. A small very light green, stalked axillary bud is associated with each leaf.

Close-up on a flower of Styrax officinalis Styracaceae - Styrax officinalis.JPG
Close-up on a flower of Styrax officinalis

The inflorescence is short and few-flowered. The flowers are axillary, bell-shaped, white and fragrant, about 2 cm (1 in) long. The corolla has 5–7 petals and many yellow anthers, the calyx is 5-lobed. Flowering period extends from spring to summer (May–June). [3]

Styrax officinalis subsp. redidivus, Styrax officinalis subsp. fulvescens (both native to California) and Styrax officinalis subsp. jaliscana (native to Mexico), were included here, but recent molecular analysis has suggested that they may be diverged to the point of being separate species. [4]

Fruits Styrax officinalis.jpg
Fruits

Distribution

This species is native to southern Europe and the Middle East. [2] [4] It prefers dry rocky slopes, woods and thickets at an elevation up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level. [2]

Storax tree blossoms Blossoms of the Storax tree (Styrax officinalis).jpg
Storax tree blossoms

Uses

This plant is the "official" source of styrax, an herbal medicine known from ancient times. Some believe its oleoresin to have been the stacte used together with frankincense, galbanum, and onycha to make Ketoret, the Tabernacle incense of the Old Testament. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> Species of plant

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Grevillea juniperina, commonly known as juniper- or juniper-leaf grevillea or prickly spider-flower, is a plant of the family Proteaceae native to eastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland in Australia. Scottish botanist Robert Brown described the species in 1810, and seven subspecies are recognised. One subspecies, G. j. juniperina, is restricted to Western Sydney and environs and is threatened by loss of habitat and housing development.

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<i>Styrax obassia</i> Species of flowering plant

Styrax obassia is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae. It is native to eastern China, Korea, and Japan (Hokkaido).

<i>Styrax platanifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

The genus Styrax has an estimated 120 species in eastern Asia, the New World, and the Mediterranean region. Styrax platanifolius is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae known by the common name sycamoreleaf snowbell or "Texas Snowbell". It is native to northeastern Mexico in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas and the US state of Texas, especially on the Edwards Plateau. Styrax flowering season is estimated to be during the months of April-May. Its fruiting season has been observed to be during July-September. Styrax platanifolius thrive in more of a subhumid climate.

<i>Rhamnus alaternus</i> Species of flowering plant

Rhamnus alaternus is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, known by the common names Italian buckthorn or Mediterranean buckthorn. It is a hardy medium-sized evergreen shrub with fragrant flowers.

<i>Coleonema pulchellum</i> Species of flowering plant

Coleonema pulchellum, commonly known as confetti bush, buchu, diosma or breath of heaven, is a shrub which is endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.

<i>Styrax grandifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Styrax grandifolius, the bigleaf snowbell or bigleaf storax, is a plant species native to the southeastern United States, ranging from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas and Missouri. The plant grows as a deciduous shrub or tree up to 6 metres (20 ft) high, and is most commonly found in upland forests of the southeast's piedmont. As the specific epithet suggests, the species has larger leaves than sympatric Styracaceae, with alternate, obovate leaves up to 14 cm long and 10 cm wide that are densely pubescent underneath. Flowers are borne during early summer in racemes containing up to 20 flowers.

Bruinsmia styracoides is a large tree of tropical Asia in the family Styracaceae. The specific epithet styracoides refers to the tree's resemblance to Styrax officinalis.

Iris dolichosiphon is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Pseudoregelia. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from China and Bhutan. It has long, thin dark green leaves, very short stem, and dark blue, purple, or violet flowers. That are mottled with white. It has thick white/orange beards. It has one subspecies, Iris dolichosiphon subsp. orientalis, from China, India and Burma. It has similar flowers. They are cultivated as ornamental plants in temperate regions

<i>Styrax redivivus</i> Species of flowering plant

Styrax redivivus, with common names that include snowdrop bush, California styrax, bitternut, drug snowbell, and chaparral snowbell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae. It is a rare plant, native to California, a shrub which can grow to 4 metres (13 ft) in height.

<i>Styrax japonicus</i> Species of flowering plant

Styrax japonicus, also known as the Japanese snowbell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Styracaceae, native to Korea, Japan, and Southern China. Growing to 12 m (39 ft) tall by 8 m (26 ft) broad, it is a graceful, spreading deciduous tree with oval, upward-facing leaves which occasionally turn yellow or orange before falling in autumn. Masses of slightly fragrant, bell-shaped white flowers hang from the branches in summer, followed by fruits (drupes) which resemble olives in both shape and colour.

References

  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species" . Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Plants for a Future
  3. "Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden Newsletter". 5 (2). 1999.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (includes helpful photos of the features described)[ dead link ]
  4. 1 2 Peter Frisch (March 1996). "Isozyme Analysis of Intercontinental Disjuncts within Styrax (Styracaceae): Implications for the Madrean-Tethyan Hypothesis". American Journal of Botany. 83 (3): 342–355. doi:10.2307/2446169. JSTOR   2446169.
  5. James A. Duke (2007). Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible. p. 447. ISBN   978-0-8493-8202-4.