LAUBACEJE. 1 17 



bearing the scars of the perianth at its apex. There is moreover an 

 indusium round the fruit formed by that of the female flower, which is 

 accrescent and dilated, finally almost bladder like with a narrow opening 

 above. 1 The large seed contains a thick fleshy exalbuminous embryo 

 witli ruminated hemispherical cotyledons. Hernandia consists of trees 

 from Asia, Oceania, and America, with alternate simple entire petiolate 

 leaves often peltate. The flowers form terminal or axillary racemes 

 of cymes, and are usually in threes surrounded by a common invo- 

 lucre of four decussate bracts. The middle flower is usually female, 

 and the two others male. Under the female flower is a proper iu- 

 volucel, forming a four-toothed cup ; and this it is that later on forms 

 the indusium of the fruit outside the floral receptacle. The genus 

 contains six or seven distinct species. 2 



Of this order the ancients 3 knew but one plant, Laurus nobilis.' 

 All the species afterwards described were considered Laurels ; this 

 was the case with the Japan-Camphor, the Cinnamon, and the 

 American species, such as the Benzoin and Sassafras. Linnaeus 

 knew twelve species, which he called Laurels, besides Cassytha. 

 Ad an son 5 placed the Laurels, under the name of Rout but, in the 

 Family Garous (Thymelea), at the end of his Family of the Poppies 

 (Fr., Pavots), after Berberis and Cassytha. A. L. de Jussieu made 

 the Laurels a distinct order, 6 adding to the genus Laurus of Linn.eus 

 Ocotea and Aiouea, which Aublet had recently made known/ and 

 as genera affinia the nutmeg-plants (Myristiea and Virata), with 

 Hernandia of Plumier. He left among the genera incerta sedis* 

 Ravensara (AgatkopAyllum), Cassytha, Lindera, and Tomex of Thun- 

 berg 9 {Tetr anther a), Gyrocarpus of Jacquin, 10 and Licaria of Aublet." 



1 Meissner makes this accessory envelope a Bat., i. 887. — Thw., IE num. PL Zeyl., 25S. — 

 formation of the hase of the calyx : — " Drupa Griseb., PL Wright., 188. — Bentu. & F. 

 calycis tubo membranaceo vesicceformi apice Muell., VI. Austr., v. 313. 



truncato pernio inclusa." But this part (which 3 Nees d'Esenbeck has given, in his Systema 



we consider as the receptacular sac) is closely (679), the history of this order. 



applied to the fruit itself and becomes hard ; 4 See p. 440, note 4. 



while the vesicular pouch surrounding the whole 5 Fam. des PL, ii. 284, 433 (1763). 



fruit arises lower down on the floral pedicel 6 Gen. (1789), 80, Ord. iv. 



itself, and has never, at any period, any adhesion 7 Guian., i. 310 ; ii. 780 (1775). 



to the fruit. 8 Op. cit., 429, 431, 439, 440. 



2 Jacq., Amer., 245.— Aubl., Guian., ii. 818, 9 Fl. Jaj>., 190 (1784). 

 t. 329.— Bl., Bijdr., 550. — Wight, Icon., ,0 Amer., 2S2 (1763). 



t. 1855. — SlCKM., Diss. Herb. Amboin., in " L. guianensis Aubi.., Guian., i. 313, t. 21. 



Linncei Amoen. Acad., iv. 125. — Guillem., in — Nees, Syst., 344, 658. — MEISSN., Prodr., 



Ann. Sc. Nat., ser. 2, vii. 189.— MiQ., FL Lid.- 259, n. 16.— This tree, of which only the leaves 



