620 Oei>be lOT.— LAURACE^. 



9. FR(ELICH'IA, McencJi. (Named for J. A. Frolick, a German 

 botanist.) Flowers perfect, 3-bracted ; calyx tubular, 5-cleft at apex ; 

 stamens 5, connate into a tube, appendaged with as many sterile fila- 

 ments ; anthers 1-cellcd ; stigma capitate or tufted ; utricle I'alveless, 

 1-seeded, enclosed in the hardened calyx which bears 2 or 5 longitu- 

 dinal crests. — (X) Herbs with jointed, villous stems, opposite Ivs. and 

 spicate fls. 



P. Floridana Moq. Nearly .simple, strictly erect, arachnoid pubogcont- Ivs. lin- 

 ear, tapering to tlie base, obtiisish at apex ; fis. imbricated, in short, dOQ.se, clus- 

 tered, cottony spikes. — On sandy river banlis, 111., also Fla., Ga. to La. Plant ! 

 to 3f high, with a terminal, virgate panicle 6 to 10' long. Lva. 1 to 2' by 3 to 5" 

 Spikes 6 to 12" long. Calyx white-scarioua, persistent, contracted above, en- 

 closing the utricle. Jl., Aug. 



Ordisu CVII. LAURACEiE. L.vurels. 



Trees and shrubs aromatic, mostly v,'ith alternate, simple, punctate loaves. FJov;- 

 ers with a colored perianth of 4 to 6 slightly united, strongly imbricated sepak. 

 Anthers 2 or 4-cell'ed, opening upwards by as many recurved, lid-like valves. Ovary 

 1-celled, 1-ovuled, free, in frait a beny or a drupe. Seed without albumeu. 



O&nera 50, species 450, chiefly natives of the Tropics. 



Properties. — The species of this higlily importmit order are throughout pervaded by ft warm 

 and stimulant aromatic oil. Cinnamon Is the dried barkofCinnamomumZeylanicum, of Ceylon, 

 .tc. Camphor is obtained from many trees of this order, but chiefly from Camphora oflicinarum, 

 of Japan, China, &c. Cassia Bark, from Cinnamomnm aromaticnm, of China. Persea gratiaaimn, 

 .■I tree of the W. Indies, yields a delicious fruit called the Avocado pear. Some of the following 

 lipocies are also moderately medicinal. The classic L:turel is Laurens nobilis of a. Europe. 



GENERA. 



g Flowers perfect, tho calyx persistent. Leaves evergreen Pkese.^. J 



§ Flowers declinous. Calyx deciduous. Leaves deciduous. (*) 



* Involucre none. Anthers 4-celled, 4-valved. Lvs. lobed ". Sassa-Fkas. - 



* Involncre 4-leaved. Anthers S-celled, 2-valved. Leaves entire Bknzoin. 5 



* Involucre 4.1caved. Anthers 4-celled, 4-valvod. Leaves entire Tiitrantukea. 4 



1. PER'SEA, Gaert. Eed Bay. B.^y Galls. Flowers perfect, um- 

 bellate, with no involucre ; calyx of 6 sepals persistent in fruit ; stamens 

 12, the 3 inner sterile, reduced to mere glands, anthers 4-celled (2 cells 

 above and 2 below) ; drupe oval, seated on tho persistent calyx, con- 

 taining 1 large seed.— Trees evergreen, the fls. in axillary, pedicellate 

 umbels. 



P. Caroliniensis Mx. Lvs. oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute or pointed 

 at each end, coriaceous, entire, glaucous beneath ; umbels simple or compound, 

 on long peduncles ; sep. coriaceous, velvety, the 3 outer smaller ; drupe oval, blue. 

 Va. to Fla. in swamps. A tree 30 or 40f high, with a deeply furrowed bark and 

 coarse branches ; but more commonly in poor soils a stinted shrub filling the sandy 

 tivvamps. Lvs. evergreen, about G' by 18", attenuated to a short petiole. Drupo 

 5 " by 4" Apr., May. — Wood of a lino rose-color, once used in cabmet-work. 



2. SAS'SAFRAS, Nee.s. Sassafras. (Spanish, salsafras, saxifrage ; 

 from the supposed resemblance of properties.) Difficious ; involucre 0; 

 calyx 0-partcd, equal, deciduous; S stamens 9, in 3 rows, the inner 

 with a pair of stipitate glands at the base of each ; anther 4-celled ; 



$ stamens 6, imperfect ; ovary ovoid, acuminate ; style short, stigma 

 capitate ; drupe ovoid, on a fle.shy pedicel. — Trees deciduous, with the 

 fls. yellow in terminal clusters appearing before the leaves. (Laurns, L.) 

 S. ofiBoinale Nees. Lvs. of two foi-ms, ovate and entire, or 3-lobod and cuneate 

 at base ; fis. in terminoJ and axillary, oorymbous racemes, with linear bracts. — U. 



