Styrax officinalis L. (Styracaceae) is a deciduous shrub reaching a height up to 4 metres. It is native to Southern Europe and the Middle East, and mostly found in Mediterranean region, America and Mexico. Styrax leaves are rich of some... more
Styrax officinalis L. (Styracaceae) is a deciduous shrub reaching a height up to 4 metres. It is native to Southern Europe and the Middle East, and mostly found in Mediterranean region, America and Mexico. Styrax leaves are rich of some useful mineral elements such as Na, K, Fe, Zn and Cu. The concentration of these mineral elements in Styrax vary acording to region and phenological stages. In this study Styrax leaves were collected from 4 different districts in Balikesir, South Marmara of Turkey, at 3 different phenological stages (early vegetative, flowering and discernible seed). Total concentration of Na, K, Fe, Zn and Cu elements were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Zn, Cu and Fe concentration ranged from 15.4-39.3, 6.2-11.3, 294.8-392.8 mg/kg on DM basis while Na and K concentraiton varied from 0.11-0.71 and 6.59-20.91 g/kg on DM basis during phenological stages. Only Fe and K levels were in substantial amounts in all phenological stages to meet adult goat requirements, while Zn and Cu levels were moderate. With the exception of early vegetative phenological stage Styrax leaves had extremely low Na concentrations. The grazing livestock in the area, intense in Styrax shrub, should be provided with mineral supplements due to low levels of both macro and micro minerals especially after flowering period. =Acknowledgement: This study was funded by Tubitak (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey), Scientific Research Project # 218O159
