LAURACE^. .(LAUREL FAMILY.) 423 



2. SASSAFRAS, Nees. SASSAFRAS. 



Flowers dioecious, with a 6-parted spreading calyx ; the sterile kind with 9 

 stamens inserted on the base of the calyx in 3 rows, the 3 inner with a pair of 

 stalked glands at the base of each ; anthers 4-celled, 4-valved : fertile flowers 

 with 6 short rudiments of stamens and an ovoid ovary. Drupe ovoid (blue), 

 supported on a club-shaped and rather fleshy reddish pedicel. Trees, with 

 spicy-aromatic bark, very mucilaginous twigs and foliage ; the latter decidu- 

 ous, often lobed. Flowers greenish-yellow, naked, in clustered and peduncled 

 corymbed racemes, appearing with the leaves, involucrate with scaly bracts. 

 Leaf-buds scaly. (The popular name, of Spanish origin.) 



1. S. officinale, Nees. Leaves ovate, entire, or some of them 3-lobed, 

 soon glabrous. (Laurus Sassafras, L.) Rich woods: common. April. 

 Tree 15 -50 high, with yellowish-green twigs. 



3. LINDERA, Thunberg. WILD ALLSPICE. FEVER-BUSH. 



Flowers polygamous-dioecious, with a 6-parted open calyx ; the sterile kind 

 with 9 stamens in 3 rows, the inner filaments 1 - 2-lobed and gland-bearing at 

 the base ; anthers 2-celled and 2-valved : fertile flowers with 15-18 rudiments 

 of stamens in 2 forms, and a globular ovary. Drupe obovoid, red, the stalk not 

 thickened. Shrubs, with deciduous leaves, and honey-yellow flowers in almost 

 sessile lateral umbel-like clusters, appearing before the leaves (in our species) ; 

 the clusters composed of smaller clusters or umbels, each of 4-6 flowers and 

 surrounded by an involucre of 4 deciduous scales. Leaf-buds scaly. (Named 

 for John Linder, a Swedish botanist of the early part of the 18th century. 

 Benzoin, Nees, adopted in Ed. 2, is a much later name. ) 



1. L. Benz6in, Meisner. (SPICE-BUSH. BENJAMIN-BUSH.) Nearly 

 smooth; leaves oblong-obovate, pale underneath. (Laurus Benzoin, L. Benzoin 

 odoriferum, Nees, & Ed. 2.) Damp woods : rather common. March, April. 

 Shrub 6 -15 high. 



2. L. melisssefolia, Blume. Young branches and buds pubescent ; leaves 

 oblong, obtuse or heart-shaped at the base, downy beneath ; umbels few. (Laurus 

 melissffifolia, Walt. L. diospyroides, Michx. Benzoin melissasfolium, Nees.) 

 Low grounds, Virginia, Illinois 1 and southward. April. 



4. TETRANTHERA, Jacq. TETRANTHERA. 



Flowers dioecious, with a 6-parted deciduous calyx ; the sterile with 9 stamens 

 in 3 rows ; their anthers all introrse, 4-celled, 4-valved : fertile flowers with 12 

 or more rudiments of stamens and a globular ovary. Drupe globular. 

 Shrubs or trees, with entire leaves, and small flowers in axillary clustered um- 

 bels. (Name composed of rcTpa,four, and avQrjpd, anther.) 



1. T. geniculata, Nees. (POND SPICE.) Flowers (yellow) appearing 

 before the deciduous oblong leaves, which are hairy on the midrib beneath ; 

 branches forked and divaricate, the branchlets zigzag ; hrvolucres 2-4-leavcd, 

 2 - 4-flowered ; fruit red. (Laurus geniculata, Michx.) Swamps, Virginia 

 and southward. April. 



