68 LAUREL. 



late, or elliptical, with an acute curved apex, remotely and minutely 

 serrated, furnished with one or two pairs of glands near the midrib 

 at the base, and of a deep shining-green colour. The flowers are 

 disposed in a spicate axillary raceme, rather shorter than the 

 leaves ; each flower supported by a short simple peduncle. The 

 calyx is inferior, urceolate, and five-toothed. The corolla consists 

 of five small, white, obovate petals, inserted on the calyx, of a 

 white colour, and fragrant odour. The stamens are about eighteen 

 in number, unequal, arising from the throat of the calyx, curved 

 inwards in aestivation; the filaments subulate; anthers roundish, 

 yellow, innate, two-celled, opening longitudinally. The germen is 

 roundish-oblong, one-celled, containing two suspended ovules, and 

 supporting a columnar style, which is furrowed on one side, termi- 

 nated by a reniform stigma. The fruit is an ovate, acute, glabrous 

 drupe, of a shining purplish-black colour externally, containing a 

 smooth, compressed putamen or stone. Plate 24, fig. 3, (a) raceme 

 of flowers ; (b) calyx opened to show the insertion of the stamens and 

 pistil ; (c) horizontal section of the fruit ; (d) putamen. 



This well-known evergreen is a native of the Levant, Caucasus, 

 and the mountains of Persia. Clusius received it in 1576 from 

 David Ungand, Ambassador from the Emperor of Germany at 

 Constantinople, with some other rare plants, all of which perish- 

 ed, except the Common Laurel and the Horse-Chesnut. It 

 was sent by the name of Trabison Cumasi or Date of Trebizond, 

 having been brought from that place. It was first cultivated in 

 England about the year 1629 ; and Parkinson informs us, that Mr. 

 Cole, a merchant, who had a single plant in his garden at High- 

 gate, used to cover it in winter with a blanket. It is now ex- 

 tremely common in our shrubberies, where it flowers in April and 

 May. 



This tree, in popular language, has usurped the name of the 

 true Laurel or Sweet Bay (Laurus nobilis), which undoubtedly 

 furnished the laurel crown, the reward and the symbol of victory 

 among the ancients. It has received this name from the resem- 

 blance of its leaves to those of the laurus ; which, together with 

 the similarity of its fruit to the cherry (cerasus), has suggested the 

 specific term Lavro-cerasus. The term Prunus indicates the 

 affinity of this plant to the plum and cherry tribes, hence included 

 in one genus by Linnaeus. Some authors, however, consider these 

 as so many distinct genera,— the Pruni, distinguished by the re- 



