Styraceæ (stir a see)

pl. [NL. (Richard, 1808), for Styracaceæ; large genus Symplocos or to the type Styrax, natives of warm regions, but wanting in Africa. They are smooth, hairy, or scurfy trees or shrubs, with alternate entire or serrate membranous or coriaceous feather-veined leaves. Their flowers are usually white and racemed, rarely reddish, and sometimes cymose or fascicled. See Halesia, Styrax, and storax . IMG:content-2338.jpg:[blocks in formation] rax ( -ac- ) +-in2, -ine2.] An ester (C18H1602) of cinnamic acid, which is the chief constituent of storax. It forms odorle and tastele crystals, which have the properties of a resin. Styrax (sti'raks), n. [NL. (Tournefort, 1700), so named because producing a gum; serrate leaves, and usually white flowers in pendulous racemes. Several species are cultivated for ornament; S. Ja ponica, recently introduced gardens, is known from its feathery white blo oms as into snowflake - flower. Others yield valuable gums, espe cially S. Benzoin (see benzoin ) and S. officinal is (see storax). S. punc tat a, a Central American tree, Styrax Benzoin. a, a flower. yields a gum which is used as frankincense, and is obtained on removing the external wood from trees which have been cut for several years. S. grand i folia, S. American a, and S. pulverulent a, known as American storax, occur in the United States from Virginia southward, with one species in Texas and one in California. Styrian (stir'i-an), a. and n. [ II. n. One of the people of Styria. styrol (stī'rol), n. [L. styr(ax) + -ol .] A colorle strongly refractive liquid (C8H8), with an odor like that of benzin, in, obtained by heating styracin with calcium hydrate. Also called cinnamene . styrolene (sti'rō-lēn), n. [