Handbook of Trees of the Northern States and Canada. 371 



The Mountain Laurel, like tlic Rhododendron 

 with which it is coinnionly assoi-iated, is gen 

 erally a shrub rather than a tree, excepting in 

 the heart of tlie AlK'ghany .Mountains. Tn that 

 interesting region, which alone affords condi- 

 tions sulliciently favorable for the aboresc^nt 

 development of several of our American trees, 

 the Mountain Laurel is found occasionally 30 

 or 40 ft. in height, with compact rounded top 

 of rigid branches. Its trunk is usual i\ 

 crooked or inclined, and is sometimes 18 or 20 

 in in diameter. To the nortliward it pre- 

 fers low rich bottom-lands, but in the southern 

 part of its range, where it is more abundant, 

 it extensively occupies rocky slopes, forming 

 in places dense thickets, and is widely dis- 

 tributed as an undergrowth in deciduous 

 forests. In flowering time it is the Rhodo- 

 dendron's only peer in beauty of floral dis- 

 play, and it has become deservedly popular for 

 ornamental planting. 



The wood is fine-grained, rather hard and 

 brittle, and useful in turnery. A cubic foot 

 when absolutely dry weigiis 44.62 Ifes.i Honey 

 gathered from flowers of this species is said to 

 be poisonous, at least to some extent, to per- 

 sons eating it, though apparently not to the 

 bees. 



Leaves persi.'itpnt. alternate, opposite and in 

 threes, eonduplieate, elliptic-lanceolate to oblon'4. 

 acute at botli ends, pultescent at first but at ma- 

 turity lustrous daik frreen al)ove. paler b(>noatli. 

 ttiick. v\}iU\. Flowers ( May-.Iuno ), al)out % in. 

 in (lianii'tcr, nuni(>r<)us in compound and crowded 

 terminal corymbs, .■'.-(> in. across ; pedicels slender. 

 erect. Klandular. piiliesceui : corolla white or 

 pinkisli ,nnd delicately penciled .-ibovi^ Fruit a 

 depressed-globdse f;landul:ir capsule. three-six- 

 tceutlis in. in diameter witli persistent calyx and 

 style.= 



1. A. W., .\I. li.-'.). 



2. Eor genus see pp. 451-452. 



