NAT. ORDER. 



LauracecB. 



RHODODENDRON ARBOREUM. ROSE BAY. 



Class IX. Enneandria. Order 1. Monogynia. 



Gen. Char. Calyx none. Corolla calycine, six-parted. Nectary 

 of three two-bristled glands, surrounding the germ. Drupe 

 one-seeded. 



Spe. Char. Leaves ovate lanceolate, perennial, shining. Flowers 

 placed upon short peduncles. 



This beautiful shrub never rises to any great height, but usual- 

 ly sends off many radical shoots, oftentimes growing close and bushy; 

 the baj-k is smooth, and of a dark olive color ; the leaves are ellipti- 

 cal, pointed, smooth, veined, often waved at the margin, and of a 

 shining green color; the Jlotvers appear in April and May, and like 

 those of Laurus Sassafras, are male and female upon different plants ; 

 they appear single and stand upon short peduncles; the corolla di- 

 vides into four oval leaves, which stand nearly erect, and are of a 

 yellowish white color ; the stamens vary in number, from seven to 

 thirteen ; there is no caly.v ; the style of the female flower is very 

 short, and the germcn becomes an oval berry, covered with a dark 

 green rind, and separable into two lobes or cotyledons. 



This tree is a native of Italy, and other southern parts of Eu- 

 rope, and the first account we have of its cultivation is given by 

 Turner, \\ hicli was in 1562, when it was introduced into Eno^land for 

 medical purposes. It is a beautiful evergreen, and is now very com- 

 mon in the extensive parks and shrubberies of that country. The 

 spicy warmth of the berries, formerly recommended them for culi- 



Vol. n.—Kt 



