708 THYMELiEACEJS. (MEZBRErM FAMILY.) 



ujyUfted 'Valves — Flower perfect or dioecious, rerigonium 

 4-6-iid or -parted. Stamens inserted at the margin of a perigy^ 

 nous disk, as many as sepals and opposite to them., or 2-6 

 times as many, arranged in rows. Anthers adnate to filament, 

 introrse or extrorse, 2-4:-celled. Ovule pendulous, anatropous. 

 Style 1. Embryo orthotropous. Albumen 0. 



L.AURV!*», L. Laurel. Bay Tree. Ghdr. 

 Flowers dioecious, urabciled, slieathed by hooded, deciduous bracts. 

 Perigouium 4-parted, the divisions deciduous. Staminate flowers. 

 Stamens 8-12, in 2-3 rows, the filaments with two glands about middle. 

 Anthers introrse, oblong, 2-celled, connective broad. Pistillate flowers. 

 Stamens 4, sterile, the filaments with a shield-shaped gland on either 

 side at tip. Ovary with 1, pendulous ovule. Style single, stigma 

 obtuse. Fruit a 1 -seeded berry, borne on the truncate base of the 

 perigonium. Seed ascending on a funicle from the base of the fruit, 

 and adnate to the testa above, pendulous. Albumen 0. Cotyledons 

 large, oleaginous, radicle included, superior — Evergreen shrubs with 

 alternate leaves. 



L*. iiobilis, L. 5- Laurel. Bay Tree, iilidr. 3 to 6, glalrous. 

 Leaves short-petioled, glossy at upper surface, paler at lower, coriaceous, 

 oblong to lanceolate, acute or obtuse, somewhat wavy - margined. 

 Staminate flowers in lateral or terminal umbels or often in dense, many- 

 flowered cymes ; pistillate in few% branched, lateral, axillary umbels or 

 small cymes ; scales of involucre glabrescent ; sepals obovate, obtuse ; 

 drupe elliptical, as large as an Isabella grape, black — April to June — 

 Thickets and woods ; coast to middle mountain zone. 



Order LXXXIX. THYMEI.^ ACE^ , Meissn. 

 (Mezereu-m Family.) 



Shrills or /lerhs, with enthe leaves^ ]^er'fect or ]}olyga- 

 tnoii's-d'tcciuiio jloioers^ a regular^ ^-cleft ijerigonixira^ with 

 lohes hnbricated in the hiul^ 8 stamens, and a free.^ 1-celled, 

 1-ovuled ovary — Perigonium corolla-like, tubular-funnel- 

 shaped. Stamens inserted on the calyx-tube or at its throat. 

 Hypogynous scales manifest or 0. Ovule pendulous, anatro- 

 pous ; style 1, stigma capitate. Fruit dry, or an indehiscent 

 berry. Embryo straight, radicle turned toward hiluni. 

 Albumen 0. 



1. DAP^slIE. ;r Leaves leatlieiy. elliptical to spathulate. Flowers .01 10115,' or more. 



2. TIIYMELJilA. A Leaves fleshy, minute, ovate to oblong. Flowers small. 



3. LTGLV. 5 Leaves linear to filiform. Flowers small. 



1. I>APH]\E, L. Daphne. 



Flowers perfect. Perigonium funnel-shaped, 4-cleft, deciduous, 

 throat destitute of scales. Anthers 8, nearly sessile, oblong, inserted 

 in two rows at the throat, nearly included. Style terminal, short, 

 stigma capitate. Berry fleshy or rather dry. Seed nut-like. Albumen 

 0. Embryo fleshy — Shrubs with leathery, entire leaves. 



