Storax
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
—an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Styrax and traded in the ancient Near East. It has sometimes been proposed for one of the biblical perfume terms and for the substance translated “stacte” in Exodus 30:34, but the identification is uncertain. Styrax officinalis grows as a small tree or shrub with white flowers and provides shade; the encyclopedia’s botanical description and reports of its use in Gilead reflect the scholarship of its period.