296 NATURAL HISTORY. 



in globous clusters ; very beautiful, pale rose color or 

 purplish, glandular, with white and yellow spots. The 

 whole plant is highly ornamental ; found in the United 

 States in great perfection, also on the Alps. 2 . The 

 Azalias also belong to this family. 



Common Laurel, Calico Busk (Kalmia latifolio), 

 stem three or four feet high ; branches straggling and 

 crooked ; leaves dark-colored evergreen. Flowers large, 

 white, spotted with red ; found in the North of Europe 

 and all of the Atlantic States. Kalm, from whom it is 

 named, says the Swedes called this the Spoon Tree, be- 

 cause the Indians made spoons from its wood. Leaves 

 narcotic and poisonous to some animals. K . 



Rosemary rvild, Thrift (Ledum palestre) is an ever- 

 green shrub about four feet high; leaves small and 

 brown on the under side. Grows everywhere in the 

 north on moors or turf lands ; leaves are bitter, harsh, 

 and, it is said, if eaten, produces deafness. Flowera 

 star-shaped, white or pink, are great favorites with 

 bees. Though many other plants might be named in 

 this sub-class, we will close our description of its mem- 

 bers with 



The Benzoe (Styrax benzoin), which has oblong, 

 sharp-pointed leaves ; flowers white, hanging in panicu- 

 late clusters ; native of Sumatra and Java. A middle- 

 sized tree ; bears a woody nut-like fruit ; on an incision 

 being made in the bark, a gum exudes plentifully ; has 

 an agreeable balsamic odor, known as Benzoin, and 

 used as a cosmetic. 2f . A relative species, the Storax 

 Tree, yields the article known in the shops as Gum 

 Storax. 



