96 LAURACEAE. (Vou. II. 
a 1-seeded drupe or berry. Endosperm of the seed none. Cotyledons plano- 
convex, accumbent. 
About 4o genera and goo species, widely distributed in tropical regions; a few in the temperate 
zones. 
Flowers perfect, panicled, not involucrate; leaves evergreen. 1, Persea. 
Flowers mostly dioecious, racemose or umbellate, involucrate; leaves deciduous. 
Anthers 4-celled. 
Flowers in umbelled racemes; leaves, or some of them, lobed. 2. Sassafras. 
Flowers in capitate umbels; leaves all entire. 3. Malapoenna, 
Anthers 2-celled; leaves entire. 4. Benzoin. 
1. PERSEA Gaertn. f. Fr. & Sem. 3: 222. . ,1805. 
Trees or shrubs, with alternate coriaceous persistent entire leaves, and perfect panicled 
flowers. Calyx 6-parted, persistent, its segments equal or unequal. Stamens 12, in 4 series 
of 3, the inner series reduced to gland-like staminodia, the 3 other series anther-bearing, their 
anthers 4-celled, 4-valved, those of the third series extrorse and the others introrse in our 
species. Staminodia large, cordate, stalked. Fruit a globose or oblong berry. [Ancient 
name of some oriental tree. ] i ; 
About 50 species, natives of America, Besides the following another occurs in Florida. 
‘Twigs and petioles puberulent or nearly glabrous. ; 1. P. Borbonia, 
‘Twigs and petioles densely tomentose. 2. P. pubescens. 
1. Persea Borbonia (L.) Spreng. Red Bay. Isabella-wood. (Fig. 1652.) 
Laurus Borbonia I, Sp. Pl. 370. 1753- 
Persea Borbonia Spreng. Syst. 2: 268. 1825. 
Persea Carolinensis Nees, Syst. 150. 1836. 
Notaphoebe Borbonia Pax in Engler Prantl, Nat. 
Pfif. 3: Abt. 2, 116. 1889. 
A tree, with dark red bark, reaching a maximum 
height of about 65° and a trunk diameter of 3°. 
Twigs puberulent or nearly glabrous. Leaves lan- 
ceolate, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, bright green 
above, paler beneath, glabrous when mature, 2/—7’ 
long, 1/-2’ wide, obscurely pinnately veined, acute, 
acuminate or some of them obtuse at the apex, nar- 
rowed at the base; petioles %/-1/ long; peduncles 
short, axillary, often little longer than the peti- 
oles, bearing few-flowered panicles; calyx puberu- 
lent, spreading in fruit, its inner segments longer 
than the outer; berries dark blue, about 14’ in 
diameter, their pedicels thick, red. 
Along streams and borders of swamps, Delaware (?) 
Virginia to Florida and Texas, near the coast, north to 
Arkansas. Wood hard, strong; color bright red; 
weight per cubic foot yo lbs. April-June. Fruit ripe 
<I Aug.-Sept. 
2. Persea pubéscens (Pursh) Sarg. 
Swamp Bay. (Fig. 1653.) 
Laurus Carolinensis var. pubescens Pursh, Fl, Am. 
Sept. 1814. 
Persea Carolinensis var. palustris Chapm. F1. S. 
States, 393. 1860. : 
Persea pubescens Sarg. Silva, '7: 7. pl. 302. 1895. 
A tree, seldom over 35° high, the trunk some- 
times 15’ in diameter. Bark brown; twigs 
densely brown-tomentose; leaves oval, oblong or 
lanceolate, glabrous and shining above when 
mature, pubescent beneath or also tomentose on 
the veins, acute, acuminate or obtuse at the 
apex, usually narrowed at the base, strongly 
pinnately veined, 3/—7’ long, 14’-1 34’ wide; peti- 
oles 4//-8’ long; peduncles tomentose, mostly 
longer than the petioles, sometimes 2’—3/ long; 
calyx tomentose, its inner segments longer than 
the outer; berry dark blue, 6’’-9’’ in diameter. 
In swamps and along streams, southern Virginia 
to Florida and Mississippi, near the coast. Wood 
hard, orange-brown; weight per cubic foot 4o lbs. 
May-July. Fruit ripe Sept. 
