9 6 



LAURACEAE. 



[Vol.. II. 



a i -seeded drupe or berry. Endosperm of the seed none. Cotyledons plano- 

 convex, accumbent. 



About 40 genera and 900 species, widely distributed in tropical regions; a few in the temperate 

 zones. 



Flowers perfect, panicled, not involucrate ; leaves evergreen. i. Persea. 



Flowers mostly dioecious, racemose or umbellate, involucrate; leaves deciduous. 

 Anthers 4-celled. 



Flowers in umbelled racemes; leaves, or some of them, lobed. 2. Sassafras. 



Flowers in capitate umbels; leaves all entire. 3. Malapoenna. 



Anthers 2-celled; leaves entire. 4. Benzoin, 



i. PERSEA Gaertn. f. Fr. & Sem. 3: 222. 1805. 



Trees or shrubs, with alternate coriaceous persistent entire leaves, and perfect panicled 

 flowers. Calyx 6-parted, persistent, its segments equal or unequal. Stamens 12, in 4 series 

 of 3, the inner series reduced to gland-like staminodia, the 3 other series anther-bearing, their 

 anthers 4-celled, 4-valved, those of the third series extrorse and the others introrse in our 

 species. Staminodia large, cordate, stalked. Fruit a globose or oblong berry. [Ancient 

 name of some oriental tree.] 



About 50 species, natives of America. Besides the following another occurs in Florida. 



Twigs and petioles puberulent or nearly glabrous. 

 Twigs and petioles densely tomentose. 



i. Persea Borbonia (I,.) Spreng. Red Bay. Isabella-wood. 



Laurus Borbonia L. Sp. PI. 370. 17, 

 Persea Borbonia Spreng. Syst. 2: 



1. P. Borbonia. 



2. P. pubescens. 



(Fig. 1652.) 



1825. 

 1836. 



Persea Carolinensis Nees, Syst. 150. --., 

 Notaphoebe Borbonia Pax in Engler & Prantl, Nat. 

 Pflf. 3: Abt. 2, 116. 1889. 



A tree, with dark red bark, reaching a maximum 

 height of about 65 and a trunk diameter of 3. 

 Twigs puberulent or nearly glabrous. Leaves lan- 

 ceolate, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, bright green 

 above, paler beneath, glabrous when mature, a'-y' 

 long, \'-i' wide, obscurely pinnately veined, acute, 

 acuminate or some of them obtuse at the apex, nar- 

 rowed at the base; petioles y*'-\ f long; peduncles 

 short, axillary, often little longer than the peti- 

 oles, bearing few-flowered panicles; calyx puberu- 

 lent, spreading in fruit, its inner segments longer 

 than the outer; berries dark blue, about #' in 

 diameter, their pedicels thick, red. 



Along streams and borders of swamps, Delaware (?) 

 Virginia to Florida and Texa., m-ar the coast, north to 

 Arkansas. Wood hard, strong; color bright red; 

 weight per cubic foot 40 Ibs. April-June. Fruit ripe 

 Aug. -Sept. 



2. Persea pubescens (Pursh) Sarg. 

 Swamp Bay. (Fig. 1653.) 



Laurus Carolinensis var. pubescens Pursh, Fl. Am. 



Sept. 1814. 

 Persea Carolinensis var. palustris Chapm. Fl. S. 



States, 393. 1860. 

 Persea pubescens Sarg. Silva, 7: 7. pl.jO2. 1895. 



A tree, seldom over 35 high, the trunk some- 

 times 15' in diameter. Bark brown; twigs 

 densely brown -tomentose; leaves oval, oblong or 

 lanceolate, glabrous and shining above when 

 mature, pubescent beneath or also tomentose on 

 the veins, acute, acuminate or obtuse at the 

 apex, usually narrowed at the base, strongly 

 pinnately veined, 3'-7' long, }4'-i%' wide; peti- 

 oles 4 // -8 // long; peduncles tomentose, mostly 

 longer than the petioles, sometimes 2 / -3 / long; 

 calyx tomentose, its inner segments longer than 

 the outer; berry dark blue, 6 // -o/ / in diameter. 



In swamps and along streams, southern Virginia 

 to Florida and Mississippi, near the coast. Wood 

 hard, orange-brown; weight per cubic foot 40 Ibs. 

 May-July. Fruit ripe Sept. 



