GENUS 3. 



LAUREL FAMILY. 



135 



flowers with 9 or 12 staminodia and a globose or oval ovary. Fruit a small globose or oblong 

 drupe. [Latin, smooth.] 



About ioo species, natives of tropical and warm regions of both the Old World and the New, 

 only the following known in North America. Type species : Glabraria tcrsa L. 



i. Glabraria geniculata (Walt.) Britton. 

 Pond Spice. Fig. 1970. 



Laurus geniculata Walt. Fl. Car. 133. 1788. 

 Tetranthera geniculata Nees, Syst. 567. 1836. 

 Litsea geniculata Nicholson, Diet. Card. 2: 287. 1885. 

 Malapoenna geniculata Coulter, Mem. Torr. Club 5: 164. 

 1894. 



A much-branched shrub, with terete smoth zigzag 

 spreading twigs. Leaves oblong, firm, \'-2 r long, 

 \'-\' wide, acute or rounded at the apex, narrowed 

 at the base, glabrous and rather dark green above, 

 paler and puberulent, at least on the veins, beneath, 

 or quite glabrous when mature ; umbels 2-4-flowered, 

 sessile; involucres of 2-4 scales; flowers yellow, less 

 than 2" broad ; drupe globose, red, about 3" in 

 diameter. 



In swamps and wet soil, southern Virginia to Florida. 

 Pond-bush. March-April. 



4. BENZOIN Fabric. Enum. PI. Hort. Helmst. 1763. 



Shrubs (some Asiatic species trees), with alternate entire pinnately veined and in our 

 species deciduous leaves, and dioecious or polygamous yellow flowers, in lateral sessile invo- 

 lucrate clusters unfolding before the leaves, the involucre of 4 deciduous scales. Calyx- 

 segments 6, equal, deciduous. Staminate flowers with 3 series of 3 stamens, the filaments 

 of the inner series lobed and gland-bearing at the base, those of the 2 outer series glandless ; 

 anthers all introrse, 2-celled, 2-valved. Pistillate flowers with 12-18 staminodia and a glo- 

 bose ovary. Fruit an obovoid or oblong red drupe. [Named from the Benzoin gum, from 

 its similar fragrance.] 



About 7 species, of eastern North America and Asia. Only the following are North American. 

 Type species : Laurus Benzoin L. 



Shrub glabrous or nearly so throughout; leaves narrowed at the base. i. B. aestivale. 



Twigs and lower surfaces of the leaves pubescent ; leaves rounded or subcordate at the base. 



2. B. melissaefoliitm. 



i. Benzoin aestivale (L.) Nees. Spice-bush or -wood. Benjamin-bush. Fig. 1971 



Laurus aestivalis L. Sp. PI. 370. 1753. 

 Laurus Benzoin L. Sp. PI. 370. 1753. 

 Benzoin aestivale Nees, Syst. Laur. 495. 1836. 

 Lindera Benzoin Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. i : 324. 



B. Benzoin Coulter, Mem. Torr. Club 5: 164. 1894. 

 A glabrous or nearly glabrous shrub, 4-2O 

 high, with smooth bark and slender twigs. 

 Leaves obovate oval or elliptic, 2'-$' long, i'-2j' 

 wide, acute, short-acuminate or some of them 

 rounded at the apex, narrowed at the base, pale 

 beneath; petioles 3" -6" long; flowers about \\" 

 broad, bright yellow, fragrant ; pedicels about 

 equalling the calyx-segments ; anthers oval, mi- 

 nutely emarginate at the summit ; ovary about as 

 long as the style; drupe 4"-5" long, about 3" in 

 diameter. 



In moist woods, thickets and along streams, Maine 

 and New Hampshire to Ontario, Michigan, North 

 Carolina, Tennessee and Kansas. March-May. Fruit 

 ripe Aug.-Sept. Ascends to 2500 ft. in Virginia. 

 Snap-wood or -weed. Feverbush. Wild allspice. 

 Leaves of young shoots much larger. 



