LAURACE^. (l.AUREL FAMILY.) 393 



Order 111. LAURACE-^. (Laurel 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, imbricated 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 drujDC or berry. Seed without 

 albumen. Embryo large. Radicle superior. 



Synopsis. 



Tribe I. liAURIBTEJE. 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 dioecious. Stamens 9, all fertile. 



2. SASSAFRAS. Involucre none. Anthers 4-celIed. 



3. BENZOIN. Involucre 4-leaved. Anthers 2-celled. 



4. TETRANTIIEKA. Involucre 2- 4-Ieaved. Anthers 4-celled. 



Tribe II. CASSYTEjE. Fruit enclosed in the fleshy calyx. — Leafless twining par- 

 asites. 

 6 CASSYTA. Flowers perfect. Stamens 9. Anthers 2-celled. 



1. PERSEA, Gaertn. Red-Bay. 



Flowers perfect. Calyx deeply 6-parted, persistent. Stamens 1 2, in 4 rows, 

 the inner ones sterile and gland-like. Filaments pubescent, the inner fertile 

 ones biglandalar. Anthers 4-celled, those of the two outer rows introrse, of the 

 inner row extrorse. Stigma disk-like. Drupe 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 

 flowei-s densely tomentose ; leaves strongly veined, pale green, varying from 

 oval to lanceolate ; peduncles longer than the petioles. — Ponds and pine-barren 

 swamps. July. — Shrub 4° - 10° high. Leaves 3' -6' long. Flowers larger 

 than the preceding form. 



2. P. Catesbyana. Smooth ; leaves lanceolate-oblong, acute or obtuse, 

 reticulate, 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 



