Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 35 
Family CII. LAURACEZ. 
Erect aromatic trees or shrubs, or (Cassytha) leafless twining 
parasites, usually evergreen. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite or sub- 
opposite, gland-dotted, rarely lobed, the margins entire; stipules 0. 
Flowers regular, small, hermaphrodite or dicecious, in axillary or 
lateral cymes, clusters, racemes or panicles ; bracts 0 or deciduous, 
often involucriform. Perianth usually inferior; tube short, often 
enlarging in fruit; lobes usually 6, sometimes more, biseriate, im- 
bricate or subvalvate, equal or unequal, one row sometimes want- 
ing, deciduous or persistent in fruit, sometimes enlarged as are often 
the pedicels. Stamens usually a multiple of the perianth-lobes, in 
2—4 series on the tube ; filaments flattened, those of inner staminal 
rows usually, of outer sometimes, furnished with a pair of glands ; 
anthers erect, 2—4-celled, the cells dehiscing by upcurved, at length 
deciduous, valvular lids, the 4th row of stamens often reduced to 
staminodes: in Q flowers the stamens replaced by staminodes, 
usually linear or clavate, some biglandular asin #. Ovary sessile at 
the base of the perianth-tube, 1-celled; ovule solitary, anatropous, 
pendulous from the top of the cell. Fruita dry or fleshy berry or 
drupe, naked or rarely enclosed in the perianth-tube or often sup- 
ported by the more or less enlarged perianth-tube and lobes, the 
pedicel frequently thickened. Seed pendulous ; testa membranous ; 
albumen 0; cotyledons plano-convex, fleshy; radicle minute, 
superior.—Distris. About 900—1000 species in the warmer regions 
of the world. 
Trees or shrubs 
Stamens of 3rd row, when present, with extrorse anthers 
Anthers 2-celled 
Stamens of 3rd row present, those of Ist and 
2nd row inirorse, if present 
Stamens of Ist and 2nd rows present, all 
3 rows fertile 
Fruit surrounded by the enlarged 
perianth (TribeI. CryprocaryE#) 1. CRYPTocARYA. 
Fruit seated on the more or less 
enlarged perianth (Tribe ITI. Arot- 
LONIEZ) .. 2S exe 
Perianth-segments equal, deci- 
duous in fruit; fruiting pedi- 
cels little or not enlarged .. 2. BEILSCHMIEDIA. 
Perianth-segmenis unequal, the 
outer 3 smaller, persistent in 
