Styrax

Styrax, genus of deciduous or evergreen shrubs and small trees of the ebony family. The genus, which contains about 100 species, is native to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions throughout the world and is cultivated widely as an ornamental plant in the eastern United States. The showy white flowers, arranged in drooping racemes, have a five-toothed outer floral envelope, five petals, ten stamens, and a solitary pistil. The several-seeded fruit is often dehiscent—that is, it splits to release the seeds. Species of styrax include a deciduous shrub that is found along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Florida and reaches a height of 3.7 m (12 ft). The hardiest species of styrax, the Japanese snowbell, is a deciduous shrub or small tree, 9 m (30 ft) high, native to Japan and China. An important resinous substance called storax is obtained as an exudate from an Asian and European species. A species native to Borneo, Java, and the Malay Peninsula yields the important balsamic resin that is called benzoin.

Scientific classification: The genus Styrax belongs to the family Styracaceae. The deciduous shrub found along the Atlantic coast is classified as Styrax grandifolius, the Japanese snowbell as Styrax japonicus, the species from which storax is obtained as Styrax officinalis, and the species from which benzoin is obtained as Styrax benzoin.