HOW TO KNOW THE SHRUBS 

 GROWING IN BRITAIN— IV 



With Notes, descriptive and photographic, for their Identification 

 in all Seasons of the Year 



By HENRY IRVING 



THE LAURELS 



THERE is only one true Laurel, and 

 that is the Bay Laurel. There are, 

 however, several shrubs popularly 

 associated in one way or another under 

 this name — plants not in any way 

 akin, belonging, indeed, to various 

 famiUes and orders. They are 

 plants with laurel-Uke leaves, and 

 that is all. All are evergreen. 

 As is usual among evergreens, 

 their leaves are thick in substance, 

 leathery in texture, with often a 

 pohshed surface. These obvious 

 characteristics have been sufft- 

 cient to bring about a rough-and- 

 ready grouping under the common 

 name. Unfortunately so, since it 

 has become the occasion of quite 

 unnecessary perplexity in distin- 

 guishing one " Laurel " from 

 another. 



So we have the Cherry Laurel, 

 usually regarded as the "Common 

 Laurel, and the Portugal Laurel, 

 both of which belong to the 

 Cherry and Plum group ; the 

 Aucul)a Laurel, from its mottled 

 colour and markings referred to 

 as the Variegated Laurel, which 

 is of the Cornel family and so 

 aUied to the Dogwood ; the 

 Spurge Laurel of the Daphne 

 family, closely related to the 

 Mezereon of our gardens ; and 

 the Laurustinus, which were more 

 a})tly named Viburnum tinus, 

 since it is of the same family 

 as the Guelder Rcjse and the 

 Wayfaring tree. Thus not one 

 of these is a Laurel. The only 



Laurel is the Bay. 

 and persistent a 

 plants under the 

 of '■ Laurel," it is 



With so determined 



grouping of these 



common designation 



surprising that some 



SPUKGE LAUKKL. 



1060 



