A large shrub or small tree that is quite variable in outline. It is a plant without marked odour.
Distribution
Temperate (warm), or sub-tropical to tropical. Eastern Asia to Western Malaysia, Mediterranean, Southeast U.S.A., Mexico to tropical South America
Floral characters
Flowers solitary (occasionally) or aggregated in 'inflorescences'; in cymes or in racemes or in panicles. Inflorescences terminal or axillary. Flowers ebracteolate; regular, cyclic or tetracyclic. Free hypanthium present or absent. Perianth with distinct isomerous calyx and corolla. Calyx (2-)4-5(-7);. Corolla (2-)4-5(-7). Corolla imbricate, or valvate; not fleshy. Androecium: Stamens (5-)8-10(-20) Androecial members adnate or free of the perianth; free of one another (rarely), or coherent. Anthers adnate; tetrasporangiate; appendaged (sometimes, the connective shortly prolonged), or unappendaged. Tapetum glandular. Gynoecium (2-)3-5 carpelled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. Gynoecium syncarpous or eu-syncarpous.Ovary (2-)3-5 locular. Ovules (1-)4-6(-50) per locule; pendulous to ascending. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; apical. One stigmas (capitate or merely lobed).
Leaf characters
Simple, alternate leaves without stipules, 'herbaceous' or leathery with petiols. Lamina entire, pinnately veined, cross-venulate. Lamina margins entire or crenate or serrate or dentate Stomata present; mainly confined to one surface (abaxial); anomocytic(Anomocytic:several irregular subsidiary cells indistinguishable in size, shape, or form from remainder of epidermis). Multicellular Hairs present, complex hairs usually present (usually brown or rufous); peltate, or stellate. Minor leaf veins without phloem transfer cells (Styrax)
Stipules
absent
Fruit characters
Fruit fleshy (rarely), or non-fleshy; dehiscent, or indehiscent; a capsule, or capsular-indehiscent, or a drupe (rarely), or a samara; one- or few-seeded. Seeds endospermic. Endosperm oily. Seeds winged (Alniphyllum), or wingless. Embryo well differentiated. Cotyledons 2; flat (broad). Embryo slightly curved, or straight. Seedling: Germination phanerocotylar.
Glands
present or absent
Hairs
present
Latex
absent
Odor
It is a plant without marked odour.
Uses
Styrax benzoin, Styrax officinalis and S. paralleoneurus and other species.
Chemical characters
Proanthocyanidins present, or absent; cyanidin. Flavonols present; kaempferol and quercetin. Saponins/sapogenins present. Sugars transported as sugar a.. lcohols + oligosaccharides + sucrose (in Styrax, but sucrose predominating). S.benzoin yields the fragrant resin gum benzoin which is used medicinally and for incense following its use as an antiseptic (James 1930) and in a hair preparation (Garnier 1950).
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
Styracaceae
map: from van Steenis 1949b; Sales & Hedge 1996; Fritsch 1999
