LATH YR us 



LAURUS 



species covered with a bluisli bloom. Since it is a mari- 

 time plant, salt is said to assist its growth. It is some- 

 times reg:arded as an annual. Var. &lbus, Hort., "Lokd 

 Anson's White," is the white form. 



cc. Lvs. with more than 1 pair of leaflets. 



9. paliistris, Linn. Marsh Pea. Wing-stemmed Wild 

 Pea. Stem slender, 1-3 ft. long, glabrous or somewhat 

 pubescent, often winged, rather erect: Ifts. 2^ pairs, 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute, 1-2 in. long; tendrils branched; 

 stipules small, lanceolate: peduncles 2-8-fld., scarcely 

 longer than the lvs.: fls. purplish. K in. long: pod 2 in. 

 long. Summer. Northern N. America and N. Europe. 

 in moist places.— A good bog plant. Var. myrtiidlius. 

 Gray (L. myrtifdlius, Muhl.). Mvrtle-leaved jMaksh- 

 PEA. Has smaller, obtuse lvs., broader and larger stip- 

 ules, the fls. pale purple. July, Aug. Banks of rivers, 

 northern North America to N. C 



10. maritimus, Bigel. Sea or Seaside Pea. Beach 

 Pea. Stem stout. 1-2 ft. long, angled, decumbent: Ifts. 

 3-6 pairs, ovatrnililong, thick, glaucous, nearly blue. 

 1-2 in. long: -stipules leaf-like, broadly ovale and cor- 

 date-hastate: peduncles 6-10-fld., a little shorter than 

 the lvs.: fls. purple; wings and keel paler, % in. long: 

 pod IK in. long, hairy. May-Aug. Gravelly seacoasts 

 throughout northern hemisphere. — A spreading plant 

 with creeping rootstock and of rapid growth, very tena- 

 cioiis of life. A good plant in rock gardens and in 

 gravelly soil. 



11. vendsus, Muhl. Showy Wild Pea. Stem stout, 

 2-3 ft. long, Bnely pubescent, strongly 4-angled: Ifts. 

 4-6 pairs, oblong-ovate, obtuse, often pubescent below, 

 2 in. Icm:;; stipuli-s narrow, short: peduncle crowded, 

 8-16-fliL. rath.r slicrter than the lvs.: fls. purple, 6-8 

 lines I. .11^': |"..l siiK.oth. June. .Tuly. Shady places and 

 along str.aias, Canada to Ga. S.B.P.G. II. 37. 



12. splendens, Kellogg. Pride of California. Stem 

 subshrulil)y, sk-iidiT, more or less soft -pubescent: Ifts. 

 4-6, ovate-oljluug to linear, Va-l in. long, acute; stipules 

 narrow: peduncle 6-12-fld. : fls. pale rose or violet, large. 

 Dry hills of coast ranges, Calif. Gn. 52:1133. — A green- 

 house plant 1 ft. long or more, becoming 8-10 ft. at home, 

 where it dies down during the summer. Elsewhere it 

 adapts itself to climate but is not hardy in N. United 

 States. Sometimes confused with a variety of i. lati- 

 folius. 



U43. 

 Lathyrus 

 latifolius. 



(XK.) 



aa. ffiihit not cUmbiti/i: los. not tendril-bearing. 



{Orobus.) 



B. Fls. yellow. 



13. montinuB, Bernh. ( OVobKs ;»ieMS, Linn. L.luteun, 

 Baker). Stem simple, angled, smooth: Ifts. 5-8 pairs, 

 large, elliptic-lanceolate, pointed, glaucous below: pe- 

 duncles many-fld., a little shorter than the lvs.: Hs. 

 large, orange-yellow. June, July. Forests of the Alps. 



S.B.P.G. n. 115. — A shade-enduring species with fls. 

 in erect, spike-like clusters and adapted to borders and 

 mckeries. 



BB. Fls. not yellow. 



14. polym6rphu3, Nutt. Prairie Vetchling. Stem 

 rather stout, usually low, glabrous or finely pubescent, 

 erect, a little woody at the base: Ifts. 3-6 pairs, scat- 

 tered, narrowly oblong, acute, thick, 1-2 in. long; stipules 

 narrowly acuminate: peduncle 2-6-fld., a little longer 

 than the lvs. : fls. purple, large. March-July. Grassy, 

 alluvial plains, Colo, to New Mes. and Ariz. 



15. nlger, Bernh. (Ornbiis n\ger, Linn). Bla^k Pea. 

 Blao-k Bitter Vetch. Stem erect or ascending, 

 branched, angled, 1-2 ft. long: Ifts. 6-8 pairs, elliptical 

 or ovate, %-\ in. long, light green, turning black when 

 drying; stipules narrow, small : peduncles 6-8-fld., 

 longer than the lvs.: fls. purple, small. June, July. 

 Mountainous and rocky districts, Middle Europe. B.M. 

 2261. — Sleniler species, with short rootstock, succeeding 

 in the shade. 



16. vernus, Bernh. (Orobus v^rnus, Linn.). Spring 

 Bitter Vetch. Stnu siiii|.i(.. si.im-wliat pubiscent, 1-2 

 ft. long: Ifts. 2-3 |i;iirs, .n :it.' aruniiTiriti-, liylit green; 

 stipules entire: pi-.limrl.^ .',-7 lid, sli.iiti-r than the lvs,: 

 fls. blue-violet; keel shaded with green, nodding. May, 

 June. Hills and woods, S. and central Europe. B.M. 

 521. — The most popular Orobus; a compact, tufted plant, 

 growing quickly in sun or a little shade; best in deep, 

 sandy loam, in a sheltered position; hardy. Var. albua, 

 a white form, is rare. 



L. gaUgiformis and L. Helveticus are names in the American 

 trade, but cainint he placed botanically. — L. tuberdsus, Liun., has 

 been imported by .in Ainerif;in amateur. It differs from all de- 

 scribed above b.\ liavint; tut.er.s. It is a native of the northern 

 parts of the Old World, and bears red flowers, which are gener- 

 ally fewer and smaller than those of L. sylvestris. 



A. Phelps Wyman. 



LA0BEL. Properly Lnurns nobilis, hut other broad- 

 leaved evergreens have taken the name. In America, 

 the Kalraias are known as Laurels. The Cherry Laurel 

 \» Prunns Latiro-cerasus.miA \u America P.Carol iniana . 

 Portugal Laurel, is P. Lnsitanica. Ground Laurel is 

 Epigaia. 



LAURESTINUS. Popular name of Viburnum Tinas. 



LAUKOCERASnS. Consult Prunvs. 



LAtlRUS ndbilis (Laurus is the ancient name) is 

 the Sweet Bay tree of the florists, the most universal of 

 all evergreen tub-plants. It is native to the Mediterra- 

 nean region, sometimes attaining a height of 40 to 00 ft., 

 but rarely assuming a true tree-like form. As a culti- 

 vated subject, it is grown as a small standard tree, with 

 a close-sheared top. The plant endures abuse and 

 neglect, the head can be trimmed to almost any shape, 

 and the growth Tji.iy 1»- kipt within small limits vear 

 after year. K.K. 1 :il(i'.l ( Fig. 1214). It is, therefore,' the 

 most popular of i)huits for der<.iration of open-air or ex- 

 posed restaurants, esplanades, architectural appurte- 

 nances, and the like. Although much used in An. erica, 

 it is still more popular in Europe. Of the European 

 dealers one may order plants with heads trained to pyra- 

 mids, cones, globes, and the like, and with bodies long 

 or short. The plant will endure considerable frost. It 

 is grown in the open in England: "The Sweet Bay 

 bush in the farmer's or cottage garden comes with its 

 story from the streams of Greece, where it seeks mois- 

 ture in a thirsty land along with the wild Olive and the 

 Arbutus. And this Sweet Bay is the Laurel of the poets, 

 of the first and greatest of all poet and artist nations of 

 the earth — the Laurel sacred to Apollo, and used in 

 many ways in his worship, as we may see on coins, and 

 in many other things that remain to us of the great peo- 

 ples of the past" (Gn. 47, pp. 301, 307). Although so 

 universally used, there are few important horticultural 

 varieties, — the variegated-leaved and crisped-leaved 

 forms being the best known. Prop, by cuttings, and 

 sometimes by seeds. 



Laurus gives name to the fsLmily Laurdcew, which in- 

 cludes Cinnamomum, Camphora, Persea, Sassafras, 

 Benzoin, and other genera. Many species have been re- 



