360 VARIOUS PLANT CiROUPS 



a leaf, petal, or slice of pith asain.st the light, when they ap- 

 pear as translucent, scattered dots. This oil it is wljich 

 renders the flowers of the family fragrant, and gives its flavor 

 to the fruit of star-anise. Scarcely a trace of such odors are 

 to be found in the crowfoot family. 



We may therefore tlefine the magnolia family as woody 

 plants having fragrant, solitary, regular flowers, more or less 

 like those of the croufoot family, but with minute reservoirs 

 of volatile oil in varioiis parts. 



107. The laurel family (Lauraceae) consists also of woody 

 plants with oil reservoirs similar to those of the magnolia 

 family. This aromatic oil gives to sassafras (Sassafras 

 officinale, page 168) and to cinnamon and camphor (Cinna- 

 momum, pages 135, 178) , as we have seen, th(^ir chief economic 

 value. Between these and our examples of the magnoUa and 

 crowfoot families may also be found many other similarities, 

 either in habit, form of leaves, or floral structure. 



The morphology of the gynoeciuni in the? laurel family is 

 somewhat doubtful. Apparently there is onlj' a single carpel, 

 much as in the baneberry, but in sassafras the three-lobed 

 stigma may be evidence of three carpels which coalesce so 

 completely as to form a one-celled, one-styled pistil. A 

 further peculiarity of sassafras is that the flowers are all 

 imperfect and that the two kinds are always on distinct 

 plants. The term diarious ' is applied to this contlition. 



A striking feature found throughout the family i.s the dehiscence 

 of the anthers by uplifted valves. This is indicated in the formulas 

 by FA"". Another general peculiarity is that tlie concave torus 

 often becomes fleshy and cup-like in fruit — a condition indicated 

 by T^T!. The sign ~ meaning "or otherwise" when there are 

 noteworthy exceptions, is also introduced in the formulas of this 

 famil}', and ? is used to indicate dotibt. 



See pages 406, 407 for fornmlas of Sassafras and C'innamomuni 

 and, derived from them (neglecting exceptions) a typical formula 

 for the famil)'. 



Woody plants initli minute reserruirs of oil. and regular 

 flowers more or less liL-c those of the cnnrfoot family liut having 

 the periaiitli and aiidneeium mostly j)erigyruius and the anthers 



' Di-ce'ci-ous < Gr. i/j.s, two; o/fco.s, huusi^hold; symbolized by cP : 9 . 



