LIX. ZAURA^CE^ : XAU'rUS. 



68b 



old trees throw up in great abuni Jance. The situation where the tree is finally 

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

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



s 5. L. Benzo^IN L. The Benzoin Lanrel, or Benjamin Tree, 



Identification. Lin. Hort. Cliff., 154. ; Willd. Sp. PI., 2. p. 4-85. ; Pursh, 1. p. 276. 



Synonymes. Arbor virginiana citreie vel limonii folio, benzoinum fundens, Conun. Hort. 1. p. 189. 



t. 97.; iaurus sestivMis Wangh. Amer. 87. ; L. se\iAo-Benzdin Mich. Fl. Amer. 1. p. 213. ; /-. 



Euosmus Bcnzdin Nutt. Gen. 1. p. 259. ; Benzoin sp. C. G. Nees Von Esenbeck ; .Spice 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 onr fig. 1334. 



Spec. Char., S^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 12ft. 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 iaurus Sassafras ; by layers ; 

 or, with difficulty, by cuttings. 



js, 6. L. (B.) ZJiospy'rus Pers. The Diospyrus-/A-e Laurel, or Bay. 



I'Jentificntion. Pers. Syii., 1. p. 4.50. ; Pursh Sept., 1. p. 276. 



Synonymes. t. Euosmus Diospj^rus Nutt. Gen. 1. p. 259. ; L. diospyroidcs Michx. Fl Bor. Amer. 

 1. p. 243. ; ? L. melissa;fijlia iValt. FL Car. 134. 

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



j Spec. Char., ^c. 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 

 1 running, twiggy, deciduous shrub. Virginia and 

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

 ) duccd 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, 

 i 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. 



15.T4. ij- Oentoin. 



1335 



L. (B.) Z)iosp5"nis. 



I 



^ 7. L. genicula'ta Michx. The ki\ee-i\cxed-branched Laurel, or Bay. 

 I 



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



I Synonymes. L. Euosmus geuiculata Nutt. Gen. 1. p. 2.59. ; L. ffistiviUs WiUd. Sp. PI. 2. p. 484., 

 . according to Pursh, 

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



Spec. Char., Sfc. 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 



