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Styrax officinalis
Also called Storax, Drug Snowbell
Styrax officinalis, commonly called the storax tree or snowdrop bush, is a species of shrub in the family Styracaceae.
This species is native to southern Europe and the Middle East. It prefers dry rocky slopes, open woods, and thickets at altitudes of up to 1,500 metres (5,000 ft) above sea level.
This plant is the historical source of styrax (storax), a herbal medicine and perfume resin known since antiquity; it was formally identified as such by Linnaeus. Some scholars believe its oleoresin was the stacte used alongside frankincense, galbanum, and onycha to formulate Ketoret, the sacred Tabernacle incense offering of the Old Testament.
American snowbell · Styrax · Styrax cordatus · Styrax crotonoides · Taiwanese Snowbell · Styrax foveolaria · Styrax fraserensis · Bigleaf snowbell · Styrax hemsleyanus · Japanese snowbell · Styrax litseoides · Fragrant Snowbell
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Styrax officinalis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
