259. KALMIA LATIFOLIA MOUNTAIN LAUREL. 29 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. --The bark and leaves contain some tannin, on 

 which account it is sometimes used in domestic practice, where an astringent 

 action is desired. 



GENUS KALMIA, L. 



Leaves evergreen, coriaceous, entire, short-petiolate. Floicers mostly axillary in umbels, 

 with slender pedicels from the axils of persistent bracts; calyx 5-parted, imbricated in the 

 bud, persistent; corolla 5-lobed, saucer-shaped, pink, purple or white, and containing ten 

 pouches with keels extending from the pouches to the lobes and sinuses; stamens 10, 

 shorter than the corolla, with oblong anthers retained in the pouches of the corolla until 

 the flower opens, then liberated by straightening of the elastic filiform filaments causing 

 a discharge of the pollen; disk 10-lobed; ovary subglobose, 5-celled, with filiform exserted 

 style and capitate stigma ; ovules numerous in each cell, anatropous, attached to an axile 

 placenta. Fruit a subglobose crustaceous, 5-celled capsule, obscurely 5-lobed tardily sep- 

 ticidally dehiscent from the persistent axis; seeds minute, subglobose, embryo in fleshy 

 albumen. 



The name is in honor of Peter Kalm, a Swedish botanist of the 18th century. 



Small trees and shrubs of 6 or 7 species, all of which are found in the United States 

 excepting one, which is a native of Cuba. 



259. KALMIA LATIFOLIA, L. 



MOUNTAIN LAUREL. 

 Ger., Berg-Lorbeer. Fr., Kalmie de Montague. Sp., Laurel de la Montana. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS : Leaves persistent, alternate, opposite and in threes, condu- 

 plicate, eliptic-lanceolate to oblong, acute at both ends, pubescent at first but at maturity 

 lustrous dark green above, paler beneath, thick, rigid. Flowers (May- June), about % in. 

 in diameter, numerous in compound and crowded terminal corymbs, 3-6 in. across; pedicels 

 slender, erect, glandular, pubescent; corrolla white or pinkish and delicately penciled 

 above. Fruit a depressed-globose glandular capsule, three-sixteenths in. in diameter with 

 persistent calyx and style. 



A small tree occasionally attaining the height of 30 or 40 ft. (10m.), with 

 rounded top of stout diverging branches and with crooked or leaning and 

 sometimes gnarled trunk which occasionally attains the diameter of 15 or 

 18 in. (0.40). The bark of trunk is of a yellowish gray color and 

 exfoliates in narrow elongated fibrous scales. 



HABITAT. The Atlantic coast states from southern New Brunswick and 

 Nova Scotia southward to northern Florida and westward to western 

 Louisiana, but not extending far west of the Alleghanies excepting in the 

 southern part of its range. It is only a shrub throughout most of its range, 

 but attains the stature of a tree on the high Alleghany Mountains. It is 

 uncommon and locally distributed to the northward, but very abundant and 



