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Show BALSAM OF GILEAD. 373 is thick, of the length of the filaments, and terminated by a quadrangular stigma: the fruit is of the drupaceous kind, roundis! ly Opening by four valves, and conta ining a smooth nut. HISTORY. Mr. Bruce informs us that the balm tree isa native of Abyssinia, growing among the myrrh tree s behind Azab, all along thecoast , to the Straits of Babclmandel ; and that it was early transplanted into the south of Arabia, and into Judea 1000 years before the queen of Sheba, who, according to Josephus, gave this tree, among other presents, to king Sol omon. ‘* The bark of the balsam tree,” Mr. Brucesays, “is cut with an axe when the juiceis inits stro ngest circulation, in July, August, and the beginning of Septem ber. It is then received into a small earthen bottle, and eve ry day’s produce gathered and poured into a larger, which is kep t closely corked. The opobalsamum, or Juice flowing fro m the balsam tree, at first } TARE . ITT G, BALSAM OF GILEAD. AMYRIS GILEADENSIS. Class VIII. Octandria. Essent. Gen. Cuar. Order I. Monogynia. Calyx four-toothed: Petals four, oblong: Stigma tetragonal: Berry drupaceous. Spec. Cuar. Leaves ternate: Peduncles one-flowered, lateral. DESCRIPTION. Accorpine to Mr. Bruce, the balessan or balm tree grows to the height of fourteen fect: its branches are numerous, spreading, crooked: the wood is white, soft, and covered with a smooth ash-coloured bark: the leaves are small, few, commonly consisting of one pair of pinne, with an odd one at the top: the 2 . R a : u ae t pinne are sessile, inversely ovate, entire, veined, and of a brigh green colour: the flowers are scattered upon the branches, Anches, and ant Z : sea Aa at of a white colour: the calyx is permanent, and divided at the brim into four small pointed teeth: the petals are four, : : small, oblong, concave, white: spering the filaments are eight, tapering, erect, and. terminated i by bea germen leer > 1 2 Tm oblong anthere: ‘4the is egg qos : shaped, and placed} above thein “olla: the style sertio n of . the corolla : the dese: whenit is received into the bottle or vase from the wound from whence it issues is of a light yellow colo ur, apparently turbid, in whichthere is a whitish cast, which I app rehendarethe globules of air that pervade the whole ofit in its first state offermentation ; it then appears very light upon shak ing. As it set. tles and cools, it turns clear, and loses that milkiness which it first had when flowing from the tree into the bott le. It then has the colour of honey, and appears morefixed and heav y than at first. After being kept for years, it grows of a muc h deeper yellow, and of the colour of gold. I have someofit which I got from the cadi of Medina in 1768; it is nowst ill deeperin colour, full as much as the yellowest honey. It is perfectly fluid, and has lost verylittle either ofits taste, smell, or weig ht. The smell at first is violent, and strongly pungent, giving a sens a- tion to the brain like that of volatile salts when rashly dra wn up by an incautious person. This lasts in proportion to its fresh- ness ; for, being neglected and the bottle uncork ed, it quickly loses this quality, as it probably will at last by age, whatever care is taken of it.” The balsam which one tree yields is very small, and the col. lecting of it is tedious and troublesome; henceit is so very scarce that the genuine balsamis rarely if ever exported in a com mercial way. The best balsam, according to Alpinus, is at first turb id and white, of a very strong pungent smell, like that of turpen. tine, but much sweeter and more fragrant, andof a bitter, acrid, |