Handbook of Tee.es of the !N"oetheen States and Canada. 371 



The Jlountain Laurel, like the Rhododendron 

 with which it is commonly associated, is gen- 

 erally a shrub rather than a tree, excepting in 

 the heart of the Alleghany Mountains. In that 

 interesting region, which alone afl'ords condi- 

 tions sutKeiently favorable for the aborescent 

 development of several of our American trees, 

 the Mountain Laurel is found occasionally 30 

 or 40 ft. in height, with compact rounded top 

 of ridged branches. Its trunk is usually 

 crooked or inclined, and is sometimes 18 or 20 

 in. in diameter. To the northward it pre- 

 fers low rich bottom-lands, but in the southern 

 part of its range, where it is more abundant, 

 it extensively occupies rocky slopes, forming 

 in places dense thickets, and is widely dis- 

 tributed as an undergrowth in deciduous 

 forests. In flowering time it is the Rhodo- 

 dendron's only peer in beauty of floral dis- 

 play, and it has become deservedly popular for 

 ornamental planting. 



The wood is fine-grained, rather hard and 

 brittle, and useful in turnery. A cubic foot 

 when absolutely dry weighs 44.62 Ibs.i Honey 

 gathered from flowers of this species is said to 

 be poisonous, at least to some extent, to per- 

 sons eating it, though apparently not to the 

 bees. 



Leaves persistent, alternate, opposite and in 

 threes, conduplicate, elliptic-lanceolate to oblong, 

 acute at botb ends, pubescent at first but at ma- 

 turity lustrous dark green above, paler beneath, 

 thick, rigid. FUicers (Ma.v-.June), about % in. 

 in diameter, numerous in compound and crowded 

 terminal corymbs, .3-6 in. across ; pedicels slender, 

 erect, gland"ular, pubescent : corolla white or 

 pinkish and delicately penciled above. Fruit a 

 depressed-globose glandular capsule, three-six- 

 teenths in. in diameter with persistent calyx aad 

 style. = 



1. A. W., XI, 



259. 



2. For genus see pp. 451-452. 





