LIX. ZAURACE^E : 



685 



old trees throw up in great abun iance. The situation where the tree is finally 

 planted should be sheltered ; and, in the North of England and in Scotland, 

 to insure fine foliage, it should be planted against a wall. 



a 5. L. BENZOIN L. The Benzoin Laurel, or Benjamin Tree. 



Identification. Lin. Hort. Cliff., 154. ; Willd. Sp. PL, 2. p. 435. ; Pursh, 1. p. 276. 



Synanymes. Arbor virginiana citreae vel limonii folio, benzoinum fimdens, Comm. Hort. 1. p. 189. 



t. 97.; Z-aurus zestivalis Wangh. Amer. 87. ; L. Pse\nlo-Benzdin Mich. Fl. Amer. 1. p. 243. ; L. 



Euosmus Benzdin Nutt. Gen. 1. p. 259. ; Benzoin sp. C. G. Nees Von Escnbeck ; Spjce Bush, 



Spice Wood, or wild Allspice, Amer., according to Nuttall ; Laurier faux Benzoin, Fr. ; Benzoin 



Lorbeer, Ger. 

 Engravings. Comm. Hort., 1. t. 97. ; Pluk. Aim., t. 139. f. 34. ; and our fig. 1334. 



Spec. Char., $c. Leaves cuneate-obovate, 



entire, the under side whitish and partly 



pubescent, deciduous. Sexes polygamous. 



Flowers in umbels. Buds and pedicels 



of the umbels glabrous. Leaves without 



nerves, ovate, acute at both ends. ( Willd.) 



A deciduous shrub. Virginia. Height 



10ft. to 12 ft. Introduced in 1688. Flow- 

 ers yellowish green ; March and April. 



Berries scarlet ; seldom or never seen on 



the plants in England. 



In British gardens, it forms a rather 

 tender peat-earth shrub, handsome from its 

 large leaves, but seldom thriving, except 

 where the soil is kept moist and the situa- 

 tion sheltered. It is propagated from im- 

 ported seeds, which require to be treated 

 like those of .Laurus Sassafras ; by layers ; 

 or, with difficulty, by cuttings. 



1331. L. Benzoin. 



j* 6. L. (2?.) DIOSPY'RUS Pers. The Diospyrus-/z7re Laurel, or Bay. 



Identification. Pers. Syii., 1. p. 450. ; Pursh Sept., 1. p. 276. 



Synonymes. L. Euosmus Diosp^rus Nutt. Gen. 1. p. 259. ; L. cfiospyroldos Michx. Fl Bor. Amer. 



1. p. 243. ; ? L. melissaefblia Walt. Fl. Car. 134. 

 Engravings. Bot. Mag., t. 1470. ; and our Jig. 1335. 



Spec. Char., fyc. Habit low, surculose, twiggy. 

 Leaves oblong-oval, and entire, the under side 

 veiny and pubescent, deciduous. Flower buds 

 and pedicels villous. Sexes dioecious. (Nutt.*) A 

 running, twiggy, deciduous shrub. Virginia and 

 Carolina, iu swamps. Height 2 ft. to 3 ft. Intro- 

 duced in 1810. Flowers greenish yellow; April. 

 Berries scarlet or purple ; rarely seen in England. 



Leaves opaque, oblong-oval, attenuated towards 

 the base, entire, the under side veiny and pubescent, 

 deciduous. Scales of the buds purple, villous. 

 Younger branches villous. This species so closely 

 resembles L. Benzoin, as to leave no doubt in our 

 mind that it is only a variety of it. 



& 7. L. GENICULA'TA Michx. The knee-flexed-fo-ancfod Laurel, or Bay. 



Identification. Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer., 1. p. 244. ; Pursh Sept., 1. p. 276. 



Synonymes. L. Euosmus geuiculata Nutt. Gen. 1. p. 259. ; L. zcstivalis Wittd. Sp. PI. 2. p. 484., 



according to Pursh. 

 Engravings. Bot. Mag., t. 1471. ; and our fig. 1336. 



Spec. Char., fyc. Branches divaricate and flexuous. Leaves cuneate-oblong, 

 mostly obtuse, about 1 in. long, in many instances less than half an inch 

 wide, entire, glabrous, except upon the under side near the base. Flowers 



