^6 ELiEAGNACEZE. 



* Leaves perennial. 



1. L. 'Carolincnsis Mich. : leaves oval-lanceolute, coriaceous, glaucous 

 beneath ; peduncles simple, terminated with a few-flowered fascicle ; outer 

 segments ofkhe perianth half as long as the inner. 



In the Great Cypress Swamp, Sussex county, Delaware ; its most northern 

 boundary. Nutt. S. to Geor. June. — A large shrub or small tree. Flowers in 

 small clusters, polygamous, pale-yellow. Drupe dark-blue. 



Carolina Bay-tree. 



** Leaves deciduous. Flowers dicecious. 



2. L. Benzoin Linn. : leaves obovate-lanceolate, wedgeform at base, 

 entire, whitish and subpubescent beneath ; flowers in clustered umbels, ap- 

 pearing before the leaves ; buds and pedicels smooth. L. Pseudo-Benzoin 

 Mich. Benzoin odoriferum Nees. 



Banks of streams. Can. to Geor. W. to Miss. April, May. — A shrub 6 — 10 

 feet high, with brittle virgate branches. Flowers pale-yellow. Drupe roundish, 

 scarlet. Benzoin. Spice-wood. 



3. L. Sassafras Linn. : leaves entire and ovate, or 2 — 3-lobed ; flowers in 

 clustered corymbose racemes, appearing before the leaves ; buds and pedi- 

 cels silky-pubescent. Sassafras officinale Nees. 



River banks. Can. to Geor. W. to Miss. April. — Varies in size from that 

 of a large shrub to a large tree. Leaves of two forms, some ovate and entire, 

 others dilated and 3-lobed at the summit, silky-pubescent when yoimg, at length 

 smooth. Flowers pale-yellow. Drupe ovate-oblong, dark-blue. This and the 

 foregoing species possess medicinal properties. See Big. Med. Bot. ii. 142. 



Sassafras. 



Order CV. EL^AGNACE^.— Oleasters. 



Flowers mostly dioecious. Sterile Fl. Stamens, 3, 4, or 8, 

 sessile ; anthers 2 -celled. Fertile Fl. Perianth tubular, per- 

 sistent ; the limb entire or 2 — 5-toothed. Ovary free, 1-celled ; 

 stigma simple, subulate, glandular. Fruit crustaceous, enclosed 

 within the perianth become succulent. Seed erect; embryo 

 straight, surrounded by thin fleshy albumen. — Trees or shrubs, 

 usually covered with leprous scales. Leaves alternate or oppo- 

 site, without stipules. 



SHEPHERDIA. A^i^«.— Shepherdia. 



(In honor of John Shepherd, late curator of the Liverpool Botanic Garden.) 



Dioecious. Sterile Fl. Perianth 4-parted. Stamens 8, 



included, alternating .with 8 glands. Fertile Fl. Perianth 4- 



cleft, campanulate, superior. Stamens none. Style 1. Stigma 



oblique. Berry l-seeded. 



(S. Canadensis Nutt. : leaves oblong-ovate, nearly smooth above, stellately 

 hairy and scaly beneath ; the scales ferruginous and deciduous. Hippophat 

 Canadensis Willd. 



