LAURACEJX. (LAUREL FAMILY.) 398 
OnpER 111. LAURACEZE. (Laure. FAMILY.) 
Aromatic trees or shrubs (except Cassyta), with alternate simple mi- - 
nutely dotted leaves, without stipules, and perfect or polygamous clustered 
flowers. — Calyx 6 — 9-parted, imbrieated in 2 rows. Stamens 6 or more, 
in 1-4 rows: anthers adnate, 2— 4-celled, opening by lid-like valves. 
Ovary free, 1-celled, with a solitary anatropous suspended ovule. Style 
simple, thick: stigma obtuse. Fruit a drupe or berry. Seed without 
albumen. Embryo large. Radicle superior. 
Synopsis. 
Tame I. LAURINEJE. Fruit naked. — Trees or shrubs. 
* Flowers perfect. Stamens 12, the 3 inner ones sterile. 
1. PERSEA. Anthers 4-celled, 4-valved. Trees with evergreen leaves. 
* * Flowers dicecious. Stamens 9, all fertile. -" 
2. SASSAFRAS. Involucre none. Anthers 4-celled. 
3. BENZOIN. Involucre 4-leaved. Anthers 2-celled. 
4 TETRANTHERA. Involucre 2-4-leaved. Anthers 4-celled. 
Taz IL CASSYTEJE. Fruit enclosed in the fleshy calyx. — Leafless twining pat- 
asites. ; T ETUR 
5. CASSYTA. Flowers perfect. Stamens 9. Anthers2-cellel —— 
P 
"T PERSEA, Gertn. Rep-Bay. 
Flowers perfect. Calyx deeply 6-parted, persistent. Stamens 12, in 4 rows, 
the inner ones sterile and gland-like. Filaments pubescent, the inner fertile 
ones biglandular. Anthers 4-celled, those of the two outer rows introrse, of the 
inner row extrorse. Stigma disk-like. Drape ovoid. — Trees or shrubs, with 
evergreen entire petioled leaves, and greenish or white flowers, in axillary pe- 
duncled clusters or panicles. 
1. P. Carolinensis, Nees. Branchlets smoothish ; leaves oblong or lance- 
olate-oblong, smooth and deep green above, glaucous beneath, obscurely veined ; 
flowers silky, in cymose clusters, on peduncles shorter than the petioles; calyx- — 
lobes unequal, persistent; drupe blue. (Laurus Carolinensis, L.)— Rich shady _ 
Woods, Florida to North Carolina. July.—"A tree 20°-40° high. Leaves 2/- 
3! long. | 
Var. palustris. Shrubby; the branchlets, lower surface of the leaves, and 
fowers densely tomentose; leaves strongly veined, pale green, varying from 
Oval to lanceolate; peduncles longer than the petioles. — Ponds and pine-barren 
Swamps. July. — Shrub 49- 109 high. Leaves 3/-6! long. Flowers larger 
than the preceding form. 
2. P. Catesbyana. Smooth; leaves lanceolate-oblong, acute or obtuse, — 
Teiculate, shining, on short margined petioles; flowers minute, in narrow axillary, —— 
Panicles which are commonly shorter than the leaves ; calyx white, pubescent = 
Within, the nearly equal lobes deciduous ; filaments very short, the innermost — 
