Plants of the Bible | Styrax officinalis

Styrax, called “storax”, στύραξ, by Pliny; derived from a Semitic (Arabic) name of assthirak.

officinalis, derived from opificina, shortened to officina, originally a workshop, later a monastic storeroom, then a herb-store, pharmacy or drug-shop.
The Hebrew name: לבנה, libneh , styrax, birch; related to Arabic lubna, Ethiopian leben; these words probably derive from לבן, laban (= white) and literally mean, ‘the white tree‘, compare English birch literally ‘the white tree‘.

• The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.

• Storax (Styrax officinalis), the Hebrew word ‘nataf’- נטף . Nataf /’stacte’ is a synonym of tzori (means ‘a liquid drop) – its gum is obtained by making incisions in the stems and branches and the spice Stacte is used in the holy incense: Exodus 30:34. Styrax officinalis is a good-sized shrub or small deciduous tree with white spring blooms, that look like snowdrops, are exquisitely scented and have bright orange anthers. These flowers hang from the underside of the branches, and leaves are along the top.
• Poplar is the rendering of the Hebrew word libneh, a tree which exudes milky-white gum, which occurs in Genesis 30:37 and Hosea 4:13.