3082 



3552. Sassafras tree. 



Deciduous: Ivs. alternate, entire or 3-lobed, slender- 

 petioled: fls. dioecious, rarely perfect, apetalous; calyx 

 6-parted; stamens 9, the 3 inner ones furnished at the 

 base with 2 stalked, orange-colored glands; stami- 

 nodes 3 or wanting; anthers opening with 4 valves; 

 ovary superior, 1-loculed: fr. an oblong-ovoid, 1 -seeded, 



dark blue drupe sur- 

 rounded at the base by 

 the thickened scarlet 

 calyx. Two species, one 

 in E. N. Amer. and one 

 in China. 



The sassafrases are 

 handsome trees of py- 

 ramidal habit with rather 

 large, entire or 3-lobed 

 leaves and small yellow 

 flowers in few-flowered 

 racemes appearing in 

 spring with the leaves 

 and followed by orna- 

 mental dark blue fruits 

 on red fleshy stalks. The 

 native species is hardy 

 North, while the Chinese 

 one which is still little 

 known in cultivation is 

 somewhat tenderer. The 

 American sassafras usually affects light lands, although 

 it may grow in clay loams. It is a desirable tree for 

 ornamental planting on account of its handsome light 

 green foliage, which is interesting with its varying shapes 

 and its orange-yellow or bright red color in autumn, and 

 on account of its decorative bright-colored fruit. It 

 prefers, at least in the North, a warm and sunny posi- 

 tion. It is not easily transplanted when old on account 

 of its long tap-roots. Propagation is by seeds sown as 

 soon as ripe; also by suckers, which are often freely 

 produced, and by root-cuttings. 



variifdlium, Kuntze (S. officinale, Nees. S. Sdssafras, 

 Karst. Laiirus Sdssafras, Linn.). Figs. 3552 (winter 

 tree), 3553. Tree, 30-60, or occasionally 90 ft. high: 

 young branches bright green, pubescent: Ivs. oval and 

 entire, or 3-lobed almost to the middle, obtusish, silky- 

 pubescent when young, glabrous at length, 3-4 in. long: 

 fls. yellow, J^in. across, glabrous inside, without stami- 

 nodes, in several-fld. racemes, umbellate when unfold- 

 ing, afterward at the base of the young branchlets; 

 staminate fls. without rudimentary pistil; staminodes 

 wanting: fr. J^in. high. April, May. Maine to Ont. 

 and Mich., south to Fla. and Texas. S.S. 7:304, 305. 

 Em. 2:360. G.F. 7:215. Gn. 31, p. 449; 63, p. 167. 

 G.W. 13, p. 366. Var. filbidum, Fern. (Laurus dlbida, 

 Nutt.). Buds and younger branches glabrous and 

 glaucous: Ivs. glabrous. Mass, to S. C. and Ky. 



Tzftmu, Hemsl. (Pseudosdssafras Tzumu, Lecomte). 

 Tree, to 100 ft.: Ivs. similar in shape to those of the 

 preceding species, 4-8 in. long: fls. perfect, smaller, 

 pubescent inside, with 3 staminodes alternating with the 

 3 glandular stamens ; the staminate fls. with rudimentary 

 pistil: otherwise like the preceding species. Cent. 

 China. H. I. 29:2833. ALFRED REHDER. 



SATUREIA (the old Latin name used by Pliny)', 

 also spelled Salureja. Syn., Calamintha. Labiatse. 

 SAVORY. Hardy aromatic herbs and subshrubs, 

 grown in borders for their flowers and also as pot-herbs. 



Leaves entire, narrow and small or toothed, or broad 

 and larger: floral whorls either axillary or in terminal 

 spike-like racemes; calyx campanulate-tubular or 

 tubular, rarely campanulate, 10-13- rarely 15-nerved, 

 5-toothed, sometimes 2-lipped; corolla-tube short or 

 long, exserted, upper lip flat, entire or emarginate, lower 

 lip expanded, 3-cleft, with flat lobes, the midlobe usually 

 larger and emarginate; stamens 4: nutlets ovoid, 



smooth. About 160 species in the warmer regions of 

 both hemispheres. 



A. Plants annual. 



Acinos, Scheele (Calamintha Acinos, Clairv.). Annual, 

 herbaceous, about 6 in. high: sts. suberect, branched, 

 pubescent or villous: Ivs. ovate, rather obtuse, base 

 narrowed, subserrate, green on both sides; floral Ivs. 

 similar, exceeding the fls.: floral whorls about 6-fld., 

 distant; calyx 3-4 lines long, deeply 13-striate, hispid; 

 corolla purple-blue, scarcely exceeding the calyx. Eu., 

 Caucasus. Escaped from cult, in N. Amer. 



hortensis, Linn. (Calamintha hortensis, Hort.). 

 SUMMER SAVORY. Annual herb, pubescent: sts. erect, 

 about 6 in. high or a little more: Ivs. oblong-linear, 

 acute, base narrowed to a short petiole; floral Ivs. 

 similar: floral whorls laxly somewhat 6-fld., in dense 

 interrupted spikes; calyx scabrous-hispid on the nerves; 

 corolla sparsely pubescent outside, scarcely exceeding 

 the calyx. Eu., and widely escaped from cult. 



AA. Plants perennial. 

 B. Lvs., at least some of them, subrotund. 



alpina, Scheele (Calamintha alpina, Lam.). Peren- 

 nial, diffuse, pubescent or villous: sts. much branched 

 and somewhat woody at base, about 6 in. high: Ivs. 

 petioled, subrotund or ovate, scarcely serrate; floral Ivs. 

 sometimes narrower, about equaling the calyx: floral 

 whorls 4-6-fld.; calyx subsessile, purplish; corolla 

 larger, purple, throat strongly dilated. Medit. region. 



Corsica, Caruel (Thymus Corsica, Pers. Calamintha 

 Corsica, Benth.). Subshrub, perennial, small, much- 

 branched, rather glabrous: Ivs. scarcely 2 lines long, 

 petioled, subrotund, entire, usually glabrous, sometimes 

 pilose; floral Ivs. similar: floral whorls on flowering 

 branches, 1 or 2; calyx subsessile; corolla light purple. 

 Corsica. 



BB. Lvs. ovate, oblong-linear or spatulate. 



montana, Linn. (Calamintha montana, Lam. C. 

 officinalis, Mpench). WINTER SAVORY. Subshrub, 

 glabrous or slightly scabrous-pubescent: sts. woody at 

 base; branches erect or ascending, 6-12 in. high: Ivs. 

 oblong-linear, acute or inferior spatulate or cuneate, 

 obtuse; upper and floral Ivs. narrower: floral whorls 

 many-fld., laxly secund, approximate in a spike or 

 raceme; calyx campanulate, 10-nerved or rarely 

 obscurely 13-nerved; corolla white or purplisht Eu., 

 N. Air., and widely 

 cult. 



varia, Webb & 

 Berth. (Thymus 

 ericaefolius, Roth. 

 Micromeria varia, 

 Benth.). Subshrub, 

 pubescent or vil- 

 lous: sts. pro- 

 cumbent, much 

 branched, branch- 

 lets ascending, ca- 

 nescent - tomentose, 

 rarely glabrous : Ivs. 

 sessile, lower ovate, 

 upper lanceolate, 

 fascicled at the axils, 

 all obtuse, some- 

 what canescent 

 beneath; floral Ivs. 

 minute: floral 

 whorls 2-10-fld.; calyx erect, slightly pubescent, pur- 

 plish ; corolla scarcely exceeding the calyx. Canary Isls. 



S. grandifltrra, Scheele (S. grandiflora, Mcench.) Herbaceous 

 perennial: Ivs. ovate, serrated: sts. decumbent, branching from 

 the base: fls. in axillary whorls, quite large, 1 J/ in. long, with a 

 straight tube; upper lip flattened, purple. June, July. 



F. TRACY HUBBARD. 



3553. Sassafras variifolium. 



