222 MEDICINAL PLANTS OF JAMAICA. 



62. Laurus camphora. 



This tree is another of the captured plants given to the in- 

 habitants of Jamaica. It is common enough in greenhouses 

 in Britain. 



If cultivated with care, it will also be an acquisition. Cam- 

 phor, though solid, is the essential oil of this tree, and is ob- 

 tained by distillation in the East Indies. 



63. Laurus Sassafras. 



This is .a native of North America, and grows luxuriantly 

 in Mr East's garden. When propagated, it will also be an 

 article of trade from Jamaica. 



The roots, and their bark, are used in medicine, and the 

 flowers are made into tea, in America, as the rasping of the 

 wood is with us. The sassafras roots and bark are an excel- 

 lent ingredient in the decoction of woods. 



64. Laurus Persea. — Alligator Pear. 



This tree has neither the habit nor sensible qualities of the 

 genus Laurus : the flowers, however, have all the generic 

 characters of it. 



The alligator pear-tree is cultivated universally by all ranks 

 of people. It runs speedily to twenty-five or thirty feet in 

 height. The leaves are long, oval, and pointed ; the flowers 

 yellow and small. The fruit is pear-shaped, and from one 

 to two pounds in weight. 



On removing a green skin or covering, we come to a yel- 

 low, butyraceous substance, and in the heart find a large 

 round seed or stone. It is unequal in the surface, and ex- 

 ceedingly hard and woody. 



This fruit is ripe in August and September, and consti- 

 tutes one of the most agreeable articles of diet, for six or 

 eight weeks, to the Negroes. These pears, with a little salt 



