A U 



foot-Jl^ 



/' 



Laurus 



Cinnamomum foliis latis ovatis frugiferuni. 



Americana, foliis fubrotundis, floribus in capitulum 

 colkdis. Houft. MSS. American Bay-tree with roundifo 



Iciivcs^ andflo'wers collected into htads. 

 IT. Laurus {Cinnatnon:um) foliis trinerviis ovato-oblongis 

 nervis vcrfus apiceni cvanefccntibus. Flor. Zeyl. 145. 

 Laurel r^ith cblong leaves wbicb dlr^tinijh toward their 



end. 



Burrr;. Zcyl. 62, Cinnamon- tree, 



12. Laurus {Canella) foliis triplinerviis lanceola- 

 tis, Flor. Zeyl. 146. Laurel with fpear-Jhaped leaves, 

 having three veins, Cinnamomum, fc. Canella Mala- 

 barica, fc. Javancnfis. C. B. P. 409- ^^i^^ orfVild 



Cinnamon. 



13. Laurus {Perfea) foliis venofis ovatis coriaceis pe- 

 rcnnantibus, floribus corymbofis. Lin. Sp. 529. Bay- 

 tree with oval, thick, veified leaves^ which continue through 

 the year, and fowers growing in a corymhus. Perfea. 



Cluf. Hift. I. p. 2. 



The fuft fort is the broad-kaved Bay, which ctows 



* 



t, 



naturally in Afia, Spain and Italy •, from all thofe 



places I have received the berries feveral times. This 

 is almofl: too tender to thrive in the open air in Eng- 

 land, for in fevere winters they are frequently killed, 

 or their branches are fo much injured as to appear lo 

 for a long time ; therefore they are generally planted 

 in tubs, and removed into the green-houfe in winter. 

 The leaves of this fort are much broader than thofe 

 of the common Bay, and are fmoother : there are 

 male and female plants of this, as there arealfo of all 



the other forts. 



The fecond is the common Bay ; of this there are 

 plants with plain leaves, and others which are waved 

 on their edges, but they feem to be the fame fpecies ; 

 for the young plants which I have raifed from the ber- 

 ries of one, have been a mixture of both forts ; but 

 this is undoubtedly a different fpecies from the firft, 

 for this fort thrives well in the open air, ^ndii^ feidom 

 hurt, except in very fevere winters ; wherQas^tlie firft 

 will fcarce live abroad, while young, incomrnon win- 

 ters^ without ihelter. 



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L A U 



the common Bay, and are a little woolly on their u;> 

 der fide, their edges are a little reflexed \ the vein:> riai 

 tranfverfly from the midrib to the fides, and the maic- 

 flowers come out in long bunches from the wino-s of 

 tlie leaves. Tht female trees produce their flowers in 

 loofe bunches, fl:anding upon pretty long foot-ttalks 

 which arc red; thefe are fucceeded by blue berrii* 

 fitting in red cups. 



This fort is alfo too tender to thrive in the open air in 

 England ^ for although fome plants have lived abroad 

 in a mild winter, which were planted in a warm fitu- 

 ation, yet the firfl: fharp winter has deflroyed them, fo 

 that thefe plants mufl: be kept in pots or tubs, and 

 houfed in winter like the former. 

 Thefe five forts may be propagated by layers, and 

 the common fort is generally propagated by fuckers ; 

 but thofe plants never keep to oneflem, but generally 

 fend out a great number of fuckers from their roots, 

 and form a thicket, but do not advance in height ; 

 therefore the bell way to have good plants, is to raife 

 them from the berries, when they can be procured, for 

 the plants which come from feeds, always grow larger 

 than the others, and do not put out fuckers from their 

 roots, fo may be trained up v/ith regular flems. The 

 beft way is to fow the berries in pots, and plunae 

 them into a moderate hot-bed, which will bring up 

 the plants much fooner than if they are fov/n in the 

 full ground, fo they will have a longer time to get 

 {Irength before winter ^ but the plants muft not be 

 forced with heat, therefore they fhould be inured to 

 bear the open air the beginning of June, into which 

 they fliould be removed, where they may remain till 

 autumn ; then the pots Ihould be placed under a com- 

 mon frame, that the plants may be protected from 

 hard froft-, but in mild weather they may enjoy the 

 free air ; for while the plants are fo young, they are 

 ^,iij danger of fuffering in hard frolt, even the common 

 •' fort of Bay.. ^ The fpring following, thofe forts which 

 will not live m the open air, Ihould be each tranf- 

 planted into feparate pots ; but the (Common fort may 

 be planted in nurfery-beds fix inches afunder each 

 way, where they may grow two years, by which time 

 they will be fit to plant where they are defigned to 



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The third fort hath very long narrow leaves which 



are not fo thick as thofe of the two former, and are 



of a light green -, the branches are covered with a pur- I - grow. The other forts muft be conftantly kept in 



plifh bark, and the male flowers come out in fmall 



clufters from the wings of the leaves fitting clofe to 



the branches. This fort is too tender to thrive in 



the open air in England, fo the plants are generally 



kept m pots or tubs, and houfed in winter as the firit 



fort. 



pots, fo ftiould every year be nev/ potted, and as they 

 advance in growth, they muft have larger pots. As 

 thefe plants require flielter in winter, a few of each 

 fort will be enough for a large green-houfe. 

 The common Bay will make a variety in all ever- 

 green plantations ; and as it will grow under the fhadc 



The fourth fort grows naturally at Madeira and the J of other trees, where they are not too clofe, fo it is 



Canary lilands, from whence it was formerly brought 

 to Portugal, where it has been propagated in fo great 

 plenty, as to appear now as if it was a native of that 

 country. In the year 1620, this plant was raifed in 

 the Farnefian garden, from berries which were brought 

 from India, and was fuppofed to be a baftard fort of 

 Cinnamon. This grows to the height of thirty or forty 

 feet in temperate countries, l)ut it is too tender to 



very proper to plant in the borders of woods, where 

 It will have a good effedt in v/inter. 

 The fixth fort grows naturally in North America* 

 where it rifes to the height of ten or twelve feet, di- 

 viding into many branches, garnifned with ovalfpear- 

 Ihaped leaves near three inches long, and one inch 

 and a half broad, fmooth on their upper furface, but 

 with many tranfverfe veins on their under fide; thefe 



thrive in the open air in England, fo the plants are | leaves fall off in the autumn like other deciduous 



kept in pots and tubs, and removed into the green- 

 houfe in winter. ' -. \ ' ^ * ■ 

 The leaves of this fort are much larger than thofe of 

 the common Laurel ; they are thick, fmooth, and of 

 ' a light green, the foot-ftalks inclining to red ; the 

 branches are regularly difpofedon every fide, and the 

 juale flowers are difpofed in long bunches ; they are 

 of a whitifh green colour -, the berries are much larger 

 than thofe of the other forts. It is called by fome the 

 Royal Bay, and by others the Portugal Bay. 

 The fifth forC grows naturally in Carolina in great 

 abundance, where it is called the Red Bay ; it alfo is 



\ 



trees. The flowers I have but once feen, thofe 

 were all male, and of a white herbaceous colour; 

 but if I remember right, they had but fix ftamina in 

 each. 



The SaflTafras-tree is aTfo very common in moft parts 

 of North America, where it fpreads greatly by its 

 roots, fo as to fill the ground with fuckefs wherever 

 they are permitted to grow j but in England this 

 fhrub is with difficulty propagated. In America it is 

 only a flirub, feidom rifing more than eight or tea 

 feet high ; the branches are garnifhed with leaves oi 

 different Ihapes and fizes, fome them are oval and en- 



.. found in fome other parts of America, but not in fo tire, abqut four inches long and three broad ; others 

 %ftzt plenty. In fome fituations near the fea, this are deeply divided into three lobes ; thefe are fix 

 rifc^ with a p:rait trunk to a confidcrable height, and } inches long, and as much in breadth from the extre- 



their ftenis are large, but in the inland parts of th 

 country they are of an humbler ftature. The wood 

 of this tree is much efteemed^ being of a fine grain, {q 

 is of excellent ufe for cabinets, &c. 

 l^he leaves of this fort are much longer than thofe of 



mity of the two outfide lobes ; they are placed alter- 

 nately upon pretty long foot-ftalks, and are of a hicid 

 green ; thefe fall off in the autumn, and in the fpring, 

 loon after the leaves begin to come out, the flowers 



appearjuft below them, upon (lender foot-ftalks, each 



fuftaining 



