384 LXII. LAUEINE^. [Daphnidtum. 



ft., Burma, on the higher mountains between the Sitang and Salween, and the 

 Thoungyeen and Houndrow rivers. In Burma it is called Karawayhen. 2. 

 Laurus nohilis, Linn. — Sweet Bay or Laurel — Ghar, Arab., well known on ac- 

 count of its aromatic leaves, is a small slow-growing evergreen tree, indigenous 

 in the Mediterranean region. Hardy in England. Differs from Daphnidiwm, 

 by a 4-cleft perianth and 12 fertile stamens. A greenish coloured fat is ex- 

 pressed from the seeds. 



Order LXIII. THYMELACE-S;. 



Shrubs small trees or wiry herbs with, tenacious bark, and alternate 

 or opposite, entire, exstipulate leaves. Flowers usually bisexual, regular. 

 Perianth gamophyllous, hypocrateriform or funnel-shaped ; lobes 4-5 im- 

 bricate ; throat with or without scales. Stamens usually as many or twice 

 as many as perianth-segments, inserted in the throat or tube. Ovary free, 

 1 -celled (in Thymelacese proper), with a solitary pendulous ovule ; style 

 simple or 0, stigma capitate. Fruit indehiscent, a nut or drupaceous. 

 Seed usually exalbuminous ; embryo straight with a superior radicle. — 

 Eoyle III. 321. 



Leaves evergreen, coriaceous ; perianth not splitting laterally 1. Daphne. 

 Leaves deciduous, submembranous ; perianth splitting later- 

 ally as the fruit enlarges 2. Wikstkcemia. 



1. DAPHNE, Linn. 



Shrubs with alternate, mostly evergreen leaves. Flowers bisexual, 

 generally in terminal heads. Perianth coloured, tubular or funnel- 

 shaped, limb of 4 equal spreading segments, without scales. Anthers on 

 short filaments inserted in two rows of 4 each, those of the upper series 

 opposite to the perianth-segments, those of the lower alternate with them. 

 Stigma capitate, subsessile. Fruit fleshy or coriaceous, remaining en- 

 closed until near maturity in the inflated perianth-tube. Testa thick, 

 crustaceous. 



Flower-heads without bracts ; leaves 1-2 in. long . . \. D. mucronata. 

 Flower-heads with numerous bracts ; leaves 3-5 in. long . 2. D. papyracm. 



D. Lcmreola, Linn. ; Hook. Stud. Fl. 322 — Spurge Laurel — ^with poisonous 

 berries, West Europe, North Africa, West Asia, has greenish flowers m short 

 lateral racemes. D. Mezereum, Linn. ; Hook. Stud. Fl. 322, is deciduous, the 

 pink flowers in lateral clusters before the leaves. North-East Europe. Siberia. 

 The bark is used as a vesicant. 



1. D. mucronata, Eoyle 111. t. 81. — Vern. Laghune, Afg. ; Kutilal, 

 hanthan, gdndalun, gandlena, ehanni niggi, shalangri, zhikah, zosho, sTiing, 

 mashur, swdna, jlkri, dona, Hdgsari, sind, kdnsian, kdnsai, sondi, Pb. ; 

 Pech, Sindh. 



A tall shrub, branchlets and young leaves soft -pubescent. Leaves 

 coriaceous, lanceolate oblanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 1-2 in. long, sub- 

 sessile, midrib prominent, terminating in a short sharp mucro with indis- 



