196 



SVLVA AMERICANA. 



and evergreen. The flowers, which open in April or May, are 

 disposed in small, axillary branches, springing between the leaf 

 and the twig, and are supported by slightly downy peduncles. 

 The fruit or seed is oval and very similar to that of the sassafras. 

 The seeds germinate with ease, and the old tregs are surrounded 

 by hundreds of young plants. 



The wood of this tree is of a beautiful rose color ; it is strong, 

 has a fine, compact grain, and is susceptible of a brilliant polish. 

 Before mahogany became the reigning fashion in cabinet making, 

 this wood was commonly employed in the Southern States, and 

 afforded articles of furniture of the highest beauty. This wood, 

 like that of the red cedar, may be usefully employed in ship 

 building, as it unites the properties of strength and durability. 

 The leaves of this tree when bruised diffuse a strong odor 

 resembling that of the sweet bay, Laurus nobilis, and may be 

 employed in cookery. 



Sassafras. Laurus sassafras. 



The Sassafras, on account 

 of its medicinal virtues and 

 the beauty of its foliage is 

 one of the most interesting 

 trees of the American forests. 

 In the United States, the 

 neighborhood of Portsmouth 

 in New Hampshire, in the 

 latitude of 43, may be 

 assumed as one of the ex- 

 treme points at which it is 

 found towards the north-east: 

 in the Western Country it is 

 met with one degree farther 

 north. From Boston to the 

 banks of the Mississippi, and 

 from the shores of the ocean 

 to Virginia and to the remotest wilds of Upper Louisiana beyond 

 the Missouri, comprising an extent in each direction of more than 



Fig. 1- 



PLATE L. 



A leaf. Fig. 2. 



The fruit. 



