LA UKIUM 365 



Latouchea Franch. Gentianaceae (i). i China. 



Latouria Blume (Dendrobium p.p. BH.). Orchid, (n. 15). i New 

 Guinea. 



Latreillea DC. = Ichthyothere Marl. (Comp.). 



Latrobea Meissn. Leguminosae (in. 2). 6 W. Austr. 



Latua Phil. Solanaceae (2). i Chili. 



Laubertia A. DC Apocynaceae (n. i). 2 Peru, Bolivia. 



Laugeria Vahl (Gnettarda p.p. EP.}. Rubiaceae (n. 2). 2 W.I. 



Launaea Cass. Compositae (13). 30 trop. and subtrop. L. pinnatifida 

 Cass. a char, plant of sandy trop. beaches. 



Lauraceae (EP., BH'mcl. Hcrnandiaceae). Dicots. (Archichl. Ranales; 

 Daphnales BH.). 40 gen. 1000 sp. tiop. and subtrop.; chief centres 

 of distr. S.E. As. and Brazil. Trees and shrubs with leathery evergr. 

 alt. exstip. 1. The tissues contain numerous oil-'cavities. Cassytha is an 

 interesting parasite. Infl. racemose, cymose, or mixed. Fl.actinom., 

 apet., usu. 3-merous, 5 or monoec. Formula usu. P 2n , A4 n , G n . P 

 in two whorls, peiig. ; A perig. or epig., in 3 or 4 whorls, some of 

 which are commonly reduced to stds. ; anther usu. 4-loc. opening by 

 valves (cf. Berberidaceae), usu. intr., but in many cases those of the 

 third whorl extr. The axis is concave, and the ovary is free from 

 it at the sides. G i (Payer, Baillon) or more probably 3 (Eichler), 

 forming a i-loc. ovary, with i pend. anatr. ov. Fr. a berry, often 

 enclosed by the cup-like recept., which also becomes fleshy in these 

 cases. Embryo straight ; seed exalb. The position of the L. in the 

 system is doubtful ; they apparently form the connecting link between 

 the Ranales (to the more typical fams. of which they are linked by 

 Monimiaceae and Calycanthaceae) and theThymelaeales. Important 

 economic plants are found in nearly all the genera mentioned below. 

 [See Nat. Pfl. and Mez. in Bot.Jahresb. 1889, p. 459, and Bot. Centr. 

 54, p. 275 (abstracts).] 



Classification and chief genera (after Pax) : 



I. PERSEOIDEAE (anther 4-loc.) : Cinnamomum, Persea, 

 Sassafras, Litsea. 



II. LAUROIDEAE (anther 2-loc.): Cryptocarya, Lindera, 

 Lauras, Cassytha. 



Laurel, Laurus nob His L. ; Alexandrian-, Calophyllum Inophyllum^.; 

 bay-, Laurus nobilis L.; cherry-, Prumis Laurocerasusi,. ; Japan -, 

 Aucuba japonica Thunb. ; Portugal-. Prumts lusitanica L. ; sea- 

 side- (W. L), Phyllanlhus; spurge-, Daphne Lanreola L. ; West 

 Indian- (W.I.), Prumts occidentalis Sw. 



Laurelia Juss. Monimiaceae. i N.Z. , i Chili. L. Novae- Zealandiae 

 A. Cunn. supplies a useful timber. Tht frs. of L. arotnalica Juss. are 

 used as a spice under the name Peruvian nutmegs. 



Laurembergia Berg. (Serpicula L.). Haloragidaceae. 20 palaeotrop. 

 and S. Afr. 



Laurentia Michx. ex Adans. Campanulaceae(m). 10 Meclit., S. Afr. , 

 N. Am. 



Laurestinus (Am.), Viburnum. 



Lauridia Eckl. et Zeyh. (Elaeodendron BH.}. Celastraceae. i S.Afr. 



Laurineae (BH.), Lauraceae. 



Laurium (CL), a drain formation. 



