Indian Medicinal Plants/Natural Order Hamamelideæ
N. 0. HAMAMELIDEÆ.
486. Altingia excelsa, Noronha, h.f.b.i., ii. 429.
Syn. : — Sedgwickia cerasifolia. Griffith.
Vern. : — Siláras (H.) ; Jutili (Ass.); Neri-uriship-pál (Tam); Rasa-mála (Mai.); Shila-rasam (Tel. Guz. ând Mar).
Habitat : — Extending from East Bengal to China and Malay. Assam and Bhutan, Pegu, Mergui, Java, Yunnan.
A tree, 60-100ft. high. Leaves alternate, 3-4½in., elliptically- lanceolate, glabrous, acuminate on both surfaces, or with tufts of hairs in the axils of the nerves beneath. Petiole 1-l½in Flowers in dense heads ; heads wrapped by a large bract, male racemose, female solitary. Male heads : a mass of stamens with very short filaments, probably representing numerous achlamydeous flowers. Anthers obverse — pyramidal, the valves when young turned in till they reach the connective, so that the young stamen is pseudo— 4-celled, dehiscing longitudinally. Female heads of 12-20 flowers ; calyces confluent, without limb. Petals (some rudimentary stamens have been taken for petals). Ovary ¾-inferior, 2-celled ; styles 2, separate, deciduous. Ovules numerous, axile. Fruit-head globose, harsh. Seeds numerous ; lowest 1-2 of each cell winged, fertile, the upper without wing or embryo.
Uses : — Yields the resin known as " storax." In orchitis, it is not possible to use this semifluid resin on the inflamed testicle direct, but it is used over the scrotum and covered over with dry tobacco-leaves. I have used it with success in the early stages of Hydrocele of the tunica vaginalis. (K. R. K.).
It contains benzaldehyde, cinnamic acid and cinnamaldehyde, also a resin and a pentosan ; esters are not present.— J. Ch. S. 1902, AT. 111.
Oriental storax is a mixture of free cinnamic acid, vanillin, styrol, styracin, cinnamic acid— ethyl ester, cinnamic acid— phenolpropyl ester, and storesinol, partly in the free state and partly as cinnamic acid ester. Storesinol has the composition C16H26O2 , and melts at 156°— 157°; it is isomeric with the benzoresinol, isolated from benzoin, which melts at 272°C. The composition of American Storax deviates so insignificantly from Oriental Storax that they may be regarded as identical. The Agricultural Ledger. 1904— No. 9 p. 120.
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