MEZERUM FAMILY. 291 



8. LINDERA. Flowers in sessile lateral clusters, with a 6-parted honey-yellow 

 calyx: sterile ones with 9 stamens having simply 2-celled and 2-valved 

 anthers ; the inner 3 filaments lobed and glandular at base. Fertile flowers 

 with a globular ovary, surrounded by numerous rudiments of stamens. 

 Berry red, oval ; the stalk not thickened. 



4. TETBANTHEBA. Flowers in small lateral clustered umbels, with 6-parted 

 deciduous calyx: sterile ones with 9 similar stamens; anthers turned in- 

 wards, the 2 cells with 2 chambers, each opening by a valve, as in Sassafras. 

 * Fertile flowers with a globular ovary, surrounded by numerous rudiments of 

 stamens, and becoming a globular drupe or berry. 



1. PERSE A, RED BAY. (Ancient of some Oriental tree.) Leaves ever- 

 green : flowers greenish-white, in summer. 



P. Carolinensis, CAROLINA RED BAY. Tree or large shrub, in low 

 grounds, from Delaware S. : hoary when young, the oblong leaves soon smooth 

 above ; berries blue on a red stalk. 



2. SASSAFRAS. (The popular name of this very well-known tree.) 



S. officinale, SASSAFRAS. In rich woods : a fine tree with mucilaginous 

 yellowish twigs and foliage, spicy bark, flowers appearing in spring with the 

 leaves ; these ovate and obovate, and some of them 3-cleft, smooth when old ; 

 fruit blue on a club-shaped rather fleshy stalk. 



3. LINDERA, SPICEBUSH, WILD ALLSPICE, FEVERBUSH. 



(Named for ./. Linder, a Swedish botanist.) Genus also named BENZOIN. 

 Shrubs : fl. in spring, preceding the leaves. 



L. Benz6in, COMMON S. or BENJAMIN-BUSH. Damp woods: 6 -15 

 high, almost smooth ; leaves thin, obovate-oblong, acute at base, 3'- 5' long. 



L. melisssefblia. Wet grounds S. : 2 - 3 high, silky-pubescent ; leaves 

 oblong, obtuse or slightly heart-shaped at base, l'-2' long, when old smooth 

 above. 



4. TETRANTHERA. (Name in Greek means four anthers, alluding to 

 the 4 chambers to each anther.) 



T. geniculata, POND SPICE. Along ponds in pine-barrens from Virginia 

 S. : large shrub, soon smooth, with forking and divergent or zigzag branches, 

 rather coriaceous oval or oblong leaves ('-!' long), appearing later than the 

 flowers in spring ; these in little crowded clusters of 2 - 4 from 2 - 4-leaved in- 

 volucres ; fruit red, globular. 



97. THYMELEACEJS, MEZEREUM FAMILY. 



Shrubs with acrid and very tough fibrous bark, entire leaves, and 

 perfect flowers, having a simple corolla-like calyx, bearing twice as 

 many stamens as its lobes (usually 8), the anthers of the ordinary 

 sort ; the free ovary one-celled, with a single hanging ovule, becom- 

 ing a berry-like fruit. Flowers commonly in umbel-like clusters. 



1. DAPHNE. Calyx salver-shaped or somewhat funnel-shaped ; the 4 lobes 



spreading, tlic'8 anthers nearly sessile on its tube, included. Style very short 

 or none: stigma capitate. 



2. DIRCA. Calyx tubular, without any spreading lobes, the wavy-truncate 



border sometimes obscurely indicating 4 teeth. 'The 8 stamens and the style 

 long and slender, protruding. 



1. DAPHNE. (Mythological name, the nymph transformed by Apollo 

 into a Laurel.) The following cult, for ornament from the Old World. 

 D. Mezdreum, MKZEREUM. Hardy low shrub from Europe, 1 - 3 high, 



with purplc-rose-colored (rarely white) flowers, in lateral clusters on shoots of 



the preceding year, in early spring, before the lanceolate very smooth green 



leaves ; berries red. 



