536 LAURACE^. [PerigyxNous Exogens. 



stamens. According to Nees von Esenbeck, their ovary is composed of three carpels ; 

 and, if so, they are as near Buckthorns as Daphnads ; but this opinion does not seem to 

 be supported by sufficient exidence ; on the contrary, the exterior of the ovary and its 

 Ulterior ca%ity present all the appearance of simplicity, unless a trifling and occasional 

 lobing of the stigma be taken as proof of a compovmd structiu'e. Nees v. Esenbeck, 

 however, describes the ovary as being really composed of 3 valvate carpellary leaves, 

 with marginal placentae. iBerberids, another Order, with recm'ved anther-valves, 

 seem far removed by their polypetalous flowers, hypogjTious stamens, and copious 

 albumen. 



Trees, inliabiting cool places in the tropics of either hemisphere ; in a very few 

 instances only, straggling to the northward in North America and Europe. On the 

 latter contment Laui'us nobihs is the only species found in a wild state. Scarcely any 

 species are known to exist on the continent of Africa. This is the more remarkable, as 

 several species of Laurus have been found both in Teneriffe and Madeh'a, and others 

 exist in Madagascar, and in the Isles of France and Bovirbon. 



The species of this extensive Order are m all cases more or less aromatic and fra- 

 grant ; some are valuable for their timber, others bear fruits that partake of the quahty 

 of the Nutmeg, a certain number are useful febrifuges, and some yield a fixed as well as 

 volatile oil, and an abundance of camphor. Foremost among them are Cimiamon and 

 Cassia, two weU-known spices brought to Eui'ope from the hotter parts of Asia. Ac- 

 cording to Blume, the finest sort of Cinnamon is produced by the Cinnamomum zeyla- 

 nicum of Nees ; and Chinese Cassia-bark by Cinnamomum Cassia (C. aromaticum, 

 Nees). But Dr. Wight has ascertained that Cassia-bark is really produced by several 

 and perhaps nearly all the species of Cinnamomum. — HooTcer''s Journal, 2. 342. CuU- 

 lawan bark, a very valuable product, with a taste of Cloves, is j-ielded by Cinnamomum 

 Cuhlawan, and many more species of the same genus have been found to resemble 

 Cinnamons in theu' peculiar qualities, especially C. nitidmn, which is said to have 

 furnished a part of the aromatic dried leaves once employed mider the name of Foha 

 Malabathri, Tamalapathri or Indi. — See Blume's Bianphia, the works of Dierbach,Geiger, 

 Guibourt, and Pereu'a, and Endhcher's Enchiridion, for fm'ther information upon this 

 subject. Many others have the quality of Cmnamou, although belonguig to different 

 genera. The Cinnamon of Santa Fe' is produced by Nectandi'a cinnaraomoides ; of the 

 Isle of France by Oreodaphne cupulai'is. The Clove Cassia of Brazil is the bark of 

 Dicj-peUium caryophyllatum, which Martius terms " Arbor omnium Laurinearum quas 

 BrasiHa alit nobUissima." To these must be added Brazilian Sassafras (Nectandra 

 CNTubarum), Bois de Rose (Licaria guianensis), and the Casca preciosa of the Portuguese 

 (Mespilodaplme pretiosa). 



iVmong the timber trees must be mentioned the celebrated Greenheart of Deraerara, 

 whose wood is remarkable for its hardness, and which is the Nectandra Rodisei of 

 Schomburgk ; the Su'abalh of the same colony is a fragrant and valuable timber 

 obtained from some species allied to Oreodaplme. A coai'se ]\Iahogany is obtained in 

 Madeu'a from Persea indica, called Viiiatico ; the Sweet-wood of Jamaica, a hard 

 yellow dm'able wood, belongs to Oreodaphne exaltata, and the Til of the Canaries, a 

 sort of timber with an atrocious odovii', bears the name of Oreodaphne foetens. 



Of those ^v'ith aromatic fruits there are the Pichm'im Beans of commerce, which 

 have been ascertained to be the cotyledons of Nectandra Puchury, and have the 

 flavour of Nutmegs of uiferior quality ; the Camara, or Ackawai Nutmeg, produced 

 by Acrodichdium Camara, Schoihb., considered in Guiana to be one of the most 

 efficacious remedies in cohc, diaiThoea, and dysentery ; Cujumai'y Beans, from Ayden- 

 dron Cujumary, and Laurel. The Clove Nutmegs of ^Madagascar are gathered from 

 Agathophyllum aromaticum, and Brazilian Nutmegs from Crj'ptocarya moschata. 



Among febrifuges the Bibiri or Beebeeru of Guiana, Nectandra Rodisei, claims 

 a high rank : Dr. Maclagan has shown that sulphate of Beebeerim acts mth rapid 

 and complete success in aiTCSting ague. — Trails. R. S., Edinb., xv. The bai'k of 

 Caryodaphne densiflora is browTiish, tonic, and contains a gi'eat quantity of bitter, 

 somewhat balsamic extractive matter ; the leaves are gi'atefully aromatic ; they are used 

 in infusion, Uke tea, against spasms of the bowels, and the convulsive aff'ections of pregnant 

 women. Sassafras officmale, a large tree inhabiting the United States, has great 

 reputation as a powerful sudorific, and, combined witli Guaiacum and Sarsaparilla, in 

 cutaneous affections, clu'onic rheumatism, and old syphilitic maladies. The dried 

 leaves contain so much mucilage that they are used in Louisiana for thickening soup, Uke 

 Hibiscus esculentus. The bark of the branches as well as the wood has been employed : 

 but they are inferior to the bark of the root. In Sumatra the place of this tree is 

 taken by another species, the Sassafras Parthenoxylon, called Oriental Sassafi'as. 

 Benzoin odoriferum is another plant with similar qualities. Its bark is highly aromatic, 

 stimulant and tonic ; and is given m decoction or powder in intermittents. An infusion 



