THE MASTIC TREE.
1183
u r ^rti GS of the coniferous turpentines already described (see p. 705).consistency is that of honey, but more glutinous. Its colour is? nis h-yellow. It has an agreeable turpentine-like odour combinedIt ^ O ^ our °I fennel, or, according to some, of citron and jasmine.
taste is very mild. By keeping it resinifies, and acquires a some-cn v * ess a S reea I ) l e odour. Genuine Chian turpentine is scarce; theoerous turpentines being usually sold for it.
Co 0 Sii )°sition. — I am unacquainted with any analysis of it; but its^Position is doubtless similar to the coniferous turpentines.siirrf Ysi0L0GICAL E ffects > Uses, and Administration. — Exactlylla r to the other coniferous turpentines (see p. 708).
^ista'cia Lentis'cus, Linn. L. E. D
Sex. Sgst. Dioecia, Pentandria.
(Resina, L. D.— Concrete resinous exudation, E.)
Fig. 222.
Wo!^ RY ;- This tree is the Sxiroc of the Greeks. Hippocrates em-iu ^ e< : the leaves, the resin {,mastic ), and the oil prepared from the fruit,^cdieine.
° t any. Gen. Char. —See Pistacia Terebinthus.
Sp. Char. — Leaves abruptly pinnate;leaflets about eight, lanceolate. Petiolewinged, I). C.—A mere bush. Leaves ever-green. Flowers very small. In var. (3. an-gustifolia the leaflets are somewhat linear:in var. y. Chia they are ovate.
Hab. —South of Europe, North of Africa ,Levant .
Extraction. — Toumefort ( Voyage intothe Levant , vol. ii. p. 00, Lond. 1741) says,that in Scio the extraction of mastic com-mences on the first of August. The bark iscut crosswise with huge knives. The masticexudes and hardens partly on the stem,partly on the ground. The same incisionsfurnish mastic towards the end of Sep-tember, but in lesser quantities. The masticin which concretes on the stem is called mastic
r *i(tsti c * ear > "’Idle that which falls to the earth constitutes common
Or i 1 ^ opERT iES.—Mastic ( mastiche ) occurs in small spherical, flattened,ta the' ar ’ pale-yellow tears, which are externally farinaceous, owinga gr e f ltartual attrition. Their fracture is vitreous. They have a mild,(j 0 e odour, and an aromatic taste.
:j -b° U t ( . t ’ GSl ’ I I ON. —Mastic consists of a minute portion of volatile oil,0°i ls Per cent, of resin soluble in alcohol, and 10 per cent, of a resi-stance ( masticine ) insoluble in alcohol.
. 1 . ,
or ^at res * nous portion of mastic which is insoluble in alcohol, is tena-FeCl ilia» . 1 e > soluble iu ether and oil of turnentine. To this principle mastic owes its
ls tacia Lentiscus.male plant.
A rni *
of
t «“gim° 1Uble * U et ' ler an< ^ °'^ turpentine. To this principleC ° 11 Unon < !.r. e ^ n ; acc ording to Unveidotben, possesses acid properties similar to those
f osin (see p. 717)