Vor. II.] LAUREL FAMILY. 97 
2. SASSAFRAS Nees & Eberm. Handb. Med. Pharm. Bot. 2: 418. 1831. 
A rough-barked tree, with broad entire or 1-3-lobed deciduous leaves, and yellow dioe- 
cious flowers in involucrate umbelled racemes at the ends of twigs of the preceding season, 
unfolding with or before the leaves, the involucre composed of the persistent bud-scales. 
Calyx 6-parted, that of the pistillate flowers persistent, its segments equal. Staminate 
flowers with 3 series of 3 stamens, the 2 outer series with glandless filaments, those of the 
inner series with a pair of stalked glands at the base. Anthers all 4-celled and introrse, 4- 
valved. Pistillate flowers with about 6 staminodia and an ovoid ovary. Fruit an oblong- 
globose blue drupe. [The popular Spanish name. ] 
A monotypic genus of eastern North America. 
1. Sassafras Sassafras (L,.) Karst. Sassafras or Ague Tree. (Fig. 1654.) 
Laurus Sassafras I. Sp. Pl. 371. 1753. 
Sassafras officinale Nees & Eberm. Handb. Med. 
Pharm. Bot. 2: 418. 1831. 
Sassafras Sassafras Karst. Deutsch. Fl. 505. 1880-83. 
A tree sometimes 125° high, the trunk 7° in 
maximum diameter; the bark very rough in ir- 
regular ridges, aromatic, the twigs and leaves 
mucilaginous, pubescent when young but be- 
coming glabrous. Leaves oval and entire or 
mitten-shaped, or 3-lobed to about the middle 
and often as wide as long, membranous, pin- 
nately veined, petioled; petioles 1’ long or less; 
racemes several or numerous in the umbels, pe- 
duncled; flowers about 3’’ broad; stamens about 
equalling the calyx-segments; fruiting pedicels 
red, much thickened below the calyx; drupe 
nearly 4’ high. 
In dry or sandy soil, Massachusetts to Ontario, 
Michigan, Florida and Texas. Root largely used 
for the aromatic oil. Wood soft, weak, durable, 
brittle; color dull orange; weight 31 lbs. per cubic 
foot. Ascends to 3500 ft. in Virginia. April-May. 
Fruit ripe July-Aug. 
3. MALAPOENNA Adans. Fam. Pl. 2: 447. 1763. 
[TETRANTHERA Jacq. Hort. Schoen. 1:59. fl. 773. 1797-] 
Trees or shrubs, with entire leaves, deciduous in our species, and small greenish or yel- 
low flowers in small umbels or almost capitate, involucrate by the bud-scales, axillary, or in 
the following species unfolding before the leaves at the nodes of twigs of the previous sea- 
son. Calyx 6-parted, deciduous. Staminate flowers much as in Sassa/ras, bearing 3 series of 
3 stamens, their anthers all 4-celled, 4-valved and introrse. Pistillate flowers with 9 or 12 stam- 
inodia and a globose or oval ovary. Fruitasmall globose or oblong drupe. [Malabar name. } 
About foo species, natives of tropical and warm regions of both the Old World and the New, 
only the following known in North America. 
1. Malapoenna geniculata ( Walt.) Coulter. 
Pond Spice. (Fig. 1655.) 
Laurus geniculata Walt. Fl. Car. 133. 1788. 
Tetranthera geniculata Nees, Syst. 567. 1836. 
Litsea geniculata Mez, Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin, 5: 476. 
8 
Malapoen na geniculata Coulter, Mem. Torr. Club, 5: 164. 
1894. 
A much-branched shrub, with terete smooth zigzag 
spreading twigs. Leaves oblong, firm, 14/-2’ long, 
\4/-14/ wide, acute or rounded at the apex, narrowed 
at the base, glabrous and rather dark green above, 
paler and puberulent, at least on the veins, beneath, 
or quite glabrous when mature; umbels 2-4-flowered, 
sessile; involucres of 2-4 scales; flowers yellow, less 
than 2/’ broad; drupe globose, red, about 3/” in 
diameter. 
In swamps and wet soil, southern Virginia to Florida. 
March-April. 
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