414 LAURACE.E. (LAUREL FAMILY.) 



equal. Dry pine barrens, Florida to South Carolina. July -Sept. ^ 

 Stem 2 -3 high. Lowest leaves 4' -6' long. Flowers very numerous, 

 secund. 



ORDER 111. LAURACE^. (LAUREL FAMILY.) 



Aromatic trees or shrubs (except Cassyta), with alternate simple 

 minutely dotted leaves, without stipules, and perfect or polygamous 

 clustered flowers. Calyx 6 - 9-parted, imbricated in 2 rows. Stamens 

 6 or more, in 1- 4 rows: anthers adnate, 2 -4-celled, opening by lid- 

 like valves. Ovary free, 1-celled, with a solitary anatropous suspended 

 ovule. Style simple, thick : stigma obtuse. Fruit a drupe or berry. 

 Seed without albumen. Embryo large. Radicle superior. 



Synopsis. 



TEIBE I. L.AUKINE^E. Fruit naked. Trees or shrubs. 



* Flowers perfect. Stamens 12, the 3 inner ones sterile. 



1. PKRSEA. Anthers 4-celled, 4-valved. Calyx persistent. 



2. NECTANDRA. Anthers 4-celled, 4-valved. Calyx lobes deciduous. 



* * Flowers dioecious. Stamens 9, all fertile. 



3. SASSAFRAS. Involucre none. Anthers 4-celled. 



4. LINDERA. Involucre 4-leaved. Anthers 2-celled. 



5. LITSEA. Involucre 2 - 4-leaved. Anthers 4-celled. 



TRIBE II. CASS YTE.35. Fruit enclosed in the fleshy calyx. Leafless twining par- 

 asites. 



6. CASSYTA. Flowers perfect. Stamens 9. Anthers 2-celled. 



1. PERSEA, Gaertn. RED BAY. 



Flowers perfect. Calyx deeply 6-parted, persistent. Stamens 12, in 4 rows, 

 the inner ones sterile and gland-like. Filaments pubescent, the inner fertile 

 ones higlandular. Anthers 4-celled, those of the two outer rows introrse, of 

 the inner row extrorse. Stigma disk-like. Drupe ovoid. Trees or shrubs, 

 with evergreen entire petioled leaves, and greenish or white flowers, in axil- 

 lary peduncled clusters or panicles. 



1. P. Carolinensis, Nees. Branchlets smoothish; leaves oblong or 

 lanceolate-oblong, smooth and deep green above, glaucous beneath, obscurely 

 A'eined ; flowers silky, in cymose clusters, on peduncles shorter than the peti- 

 oles ; calyx lobes unequal, persistent ; drupe blue. ( Laurus, L.) Rich shady 

 woods, Florida to North Carolina. July. A tree 20 -40 nigh. Leaves 

 2' -3' long. 



Var. palustris, Chapm. Shrubby ; the branchlets, lower surface of the 

 leaves, and flowers densely tomentose ; leaves strongly veined, pale green, va- 

 rying from oval to lanceolate ; peduncles longer than the petioles. Ponds 

 and pine barren swamps. July. Shrub 4 -10 high. Leaves 3' -6' long. 

 Flowers larger. 



2. NECTANDRA, Rottb. 



Calyx rotate, 6-parted, the lobes deciduous. Anthers nearly sessile, 4-celled. 

 Drupe with its base enclosed in the cup-like persistent calyx tube. Otherwise 

 like the preceding. 



