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Styrax benzoin
Also called Sumatra Benzointree, Benzoin, Benzointree, Gum Benjamin Tree, Onycha, Styraxtree
Styrax benzoin is a forest tree of Sumatra and Southeast Asia, grown mainly for benzoin resin tapped from its bark, and also used as a shade tree. It needs a warm, humid, wet climate and is not a common houseplant.
Styrax benzoin is a species of tree native to Indochina and western Malesia. Common names for the tree include gum benjamin tree, loban (in Arabic), kemenyan (in Indonesia and Malaysia), onycha, and Sumatra benzoin tree.
Styrax benzoin is cultivated as a main source of benzoin resin in Indonesia. It is also grown as an ornamental tree for shade in West Africa.
It is a common member of the forests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it grows to about 12–30 meters in height. Styrax benzoin can live 70–100 years. It is unknown how it came to Sumatra. Scientists says styrax benzoin from Sumatra has the best quality.
Styrax hemsleyanus · Japanese snowbell · Fragrant Snowbell · Snowbell
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Styrax benzoin by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
