L A U 



L A U 



breadth in tlie broad-leaved variety, and from 

 three to four inches in length, entire, on short 

 petioles, having an agrceahle smell, and an aro- 

 matic, subacrld, bitterish taste : the flowers are 

 dioecious, or male and female on different trees, 

 in racemes shorter than the ]eav(?S, of an herba- 

 ceous colour : the corollas four-pctalled in the 

 male flowers, with from eight to twelve stamens: 

 the berry superior, ovate, fleshy, dark, purple 

 almost black : the receptacle none, except a 

 small tubercle at the bottom, whence a vascular 

 band rises --in each side the whole length of the 

 seed ; which is large, ovate, slightly mucronate 

 above. It is a native of the southern parts of 

 Europe, and of Asia. 



There are several varieties ; as the broad- 

 leaved, which is almost too tender for the open 

 air in this climate, with leaves much broader 

 and smoother than those of the connnon sort ; — 

 the common, which is seldom hurt in this i li- 

 mate, except in very severe winters, of which 

 there are two subvarieties, one with plain leaves, 

 the other with leaves waved on the edges ; — the 

 narrow-leaved, with very long narrow leaves, 

 not so thick as those of the preceding two sorts, 

 and of a light green, the branches covered with 

 a purplish bark, and the male flowers come out 

 in small clusters from the axils of the leaves, 

 sitting close to the branches ; of which there are 

 subvarieties in the nurseries with variegated 

 leaves. 



What is now called Bay was formerly called 

 "Laurel, which has introduced some confusion. 



The second species rises with a shrubby 

 branching stalk eight or ten feet high, covered 

 with a purple bark : the leaves are opposite, near 

 two inches long and one inch broad, smooth on 

 their upper side, but veined on their under, 

 w'here ihey are rough : the berries red, nearly 

 the size and shape of the common Bay-berry. 

 It is a native of North America. 



The tliird rises to the height of ten or twelve 

 feet, dividing into many branches : the leaves are 

 near three inches long, and an inch and a half 

 broad, smooth on their upper surface, but with 

 many transverse veins on their under side : the 

 flowers of a white herbaceous colour, with six 

 stamina in each : the involucre is sessile, four- 

 ieaved, much resembling that of Cornus, in- 

 eluding five petioled florets, the length of the 

 involucre : proper calyx (or corolla) six-parted, 

 yellow, with linear segments : the stamens eight 

 or nine, the length of the calvx, appendiclcd 

 on the sides : the germ ovale, within the calyx : 

 the style simple. It is a native of Virginia. 



Martyn observes that it has been confounded 

 with the true Benzoin tree. See Styrax Ben- 

 zoin. 



The fourth species is commonly a shrub, seldom 

 rising more than eight or ten feet liigti (it some- 

 times, however, grows into a large tree) : the 

 leaves are of ditferent shapes and sizes; some 

 oval and entire, about four inches long and three 

 broad; others are deeply divided mto three 

 lobes ; these are six inches long, and as much in 

 breadth from the extremity of the two outside 

 lobes ; they are placed alternately on pretty long 

 footstalks, and are of a lucid green ; they fall 

 ofl" early in the autumn; and in the spring, soon 

 after the leaves begin to come out, the flowers 

 appear just below them, on slender peduncles, 

 each sustaining three or four small, yellow 

 (greenish white) flowers, which have live oval 

 concave petals, and eight stamina in the tnalc- 

 flowers, which are upon different plants from 

 the hermaphrodite flowers : these are succeeded 

 by an oval berry, which, when ripe, is blue. 

 It is a native of America.' Its wood is of a 

 light and spongy texture, having a fragrant 

 smell, and a sweetish aromatic taste. 



The fifth is a large tree with ascending 

 branches : the branches, and particularly the 

 shoots, are tubercled with scars from the fallen 

 leaves; they are alternate, curved inwards, 

 wrinkled and smooth : the leaves scattered, acu- 

 minate with a bluntish point, quite entire, 

 smooth, veined, reflex, four inches long : the 

 petioles semi-cylindric, grooved, smooth, re- 

 flex : the flowers terminating, below racemed, 

 above paniclcd : the panicle trifld: ovate, red. 

 nectareous scales at the base of the filaments, 

 which vary in number from seven to nine; six 

 outer, and one, two, or three inner : they are 

 unequal, flat, and nearly equal to the calyx : 

 the anthers compressed, four-celled : the germ 

 roundish : the style very short : the berry globu- 

 lar, small, and brown. It is a native of Ma- 

 deira. 



The sixth species rises with a straight large 

 trunk to a considerable heiaht near the sea ; but 

 in the inland parts of the country it is of 

 humbler stature : the leaves are much longer 

 than those of the Common Ba\', and are a little 

 woolly on their under side; their edges are a 

 little retlexed ; the veins run transversely from 

 the midrib to the sides : the male flowers come 

 out in long bunches fioin the axils of the leaves : 

 the female flowers in loose bunches on pretty 

 long red peduncles: the berries are blue, in red 

 cups, growing two and sonietimes three toge- 

 tlier. It is a native of America. 



The seventh species is very near akin to the 

 ninth, from which it differs in the leaves, those 

 of the latter having three ribs running longi- 

 tudinally from the foot-stalk to the point, 

 where they soon diminish ; whereas in this the 



