''Styrax benzoin'' is a species of tree native to
Indochina and western
Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...
. Common names for the tree include gum benjamin tree, loban (in Arabic), kemenyan (in Indonesia and Malaysia), onycha, and Sumatra benzoin tree.
Distribution
It is a common member of the forests of
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, Indonesia, where it grows to about 12–30 meters in height. ''Styrax benzoin'' can live 70–100 years. It is unknown how it came to Sumatra. Scientists says ''styrax benzoin'' from Sumatra has the best quality.
The process of tapping and harvesting frankincense takes one year. The ''styrax benzoin'' tree trunk is cut slightly, so that the white styrax sap will appear from the skin. After 4–6 months of the styrax sap hardens on the tree trunks at which point the sap can be harvested.
The sap that has been harvested is not clean and is dried for 3 to 6 months to remove impurities. After the sap has dried, it is ready for export.
Incense trees grow in several countries in Southeast Asia, such as
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
and
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. The tree can thrive in mountainous areas and cold temperatures with high rainfall. Styrax trees can also grow in lowland areas with hot temperatures but these do not produce good quality styrax sap.
JSTOR Plant Science
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Cultivation
''Styrax benzoin'' is cultivated as a main source of benzoin resin in Indonesia. It is also grown as an ornamental tree for shade in West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
.
See also
* Styrax — Uses of resin' section''
References
benzoin
Trees of Sumatra
Garden plants of Asia
Ornamental trees
Plants described in 1787
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