240 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES LASER 



It is described by Mr. rortune as attaining a height of 120 to 

 130 feet, with a clear stem of 50 feet, and a girth of 5 feet near 

 the ground. It was introduced about fifteen years ago, grows 

 freely, and appears quite hardy. 



Laser Cyrenaicum. {See Carrot, Deadly.) 



Lattice hea^f (Oicvirandra/enestralis'), a plant of the family 

 iSTaiadaceae, native of shallow waters in Madagascar. Its leaves 

 have long foot-stalks, which grow from a rhizome, and vary from 

 12 to 18 inches in length and from 2 to 6 inches in breadth. 

 They consist of nerves only, which form a skeleton leaf, the 

 openings being square like lattice- work. It produces a forked 

 spike of flowers similar to Aponogeton. This plant was intro- 

 duced in 1855, and was successfully cultivated at Kew, produc- 

 ing leaves 3 feet in length. 



Laurel, American. (See Kalmia.) 



Laurel, Bay, or Sweet Bay {Zcmrus nohilis), a tree of the 

 Laurel family (Lauracese), native of Southern Europe, where it 

 attains a heio'ht of even 40 or 50 feet. It is well known in this 

 country, but is often killed to the ground in severe winters, 

 which circumstance keeps it down to a bushy shrub. The 

 leaves are aromatic, and used for flavouring custards, puddings, 

 and a few are often packed in fig boxes to give the figs a flavour. 

 Though known as Bay Laurel it is distinct from the common 

 shrub called Cherry Laurel {Primus Lcmrocerasus), which belongs 

 to the Cherry family. 



Laurel, Canary {L. canarie7isis), a large tree having oblong 

 elliptical leaves of a rusty colour, native of the Canary Islands. 



Laurel, Cape of Good Hope (Z. hullata), a small branching 

 tree, which on account of the fetid smell of its wood is well 

 known in the Cape Colony as Stink-wood. 



Laurel, Jamaica {L. chloroxyloii), a lofty straight tree of 

 uniform girth, having oval, elliptical, three-nerved leaves. The 

 wood is hard, resisting the axe ; it is used for many purposes, 

 chiefly for sugar-works and machinery, and a single tree has 

 been known to produce a straight beam 40 feet long and 10 

 inches square. 



