Styracaceae

Storax Family

Mostly trees and shrubs. Leaves alternate, simple; stipules absent. Flowers bisexual, regular. Sepals fused and with 4-5 lobes. Petals 4-8, fused at the base. Stamens 4-16. Ovary half inferior to superior. Fruit a capsule, sometimes a drupe or samara; sometimes with longi­tudinal lateral wings.

Cultivated species are mostly suited to cool climate areas.

Various resins are used medicinally.

Flowers regular, petals fused.

12 genera and about 170 species from Malesia, E Asia and the Americas but with a centre of distribution in E Asia.

Source: Spencer, R. (1997). Styracaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.

kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Asteranae
order      Ericales
Higher taxa
Subordinate taxa
genus        Halesia L.
genus        Pterostyrax Siebold & Zucc.
genus        Rehderodendron Hu
genus        Styrax L.