620 Order lOt.— LAUBACEJE. 



9. FRCELICH'IA, Mcenoli. (Named for J. A. Frolich, 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-celled ; stigma capitate or tufted ; utricle valveless, 

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

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

 spicate fls. 



F. Floridina Moq. Kearly simple, strictly erect, arachnoid pubescent; Its. lin- 

 ear, tapering to the base, obtusish at apex ; fls. imbricated, in short, dense, clus- 

 tered, cottony spikes. — On sandy river banks, III, also Pla., Ga. to La. Plant 1 

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

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

 closing the utricle. Jl., Aug. 



Order CVII. LAURACEiE. Laurels. 



Trees and shrubs aromatic, mostly with alternate, simple, punctate leaves. Plow- 

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

 Anthers 2 or 4-ceUed, opening upwards by as many recurved, hd-like valves. Ovary 

 1-celled, 1-ovuled, free, in fruit a berry or a drupe. Seed without albumen. 



Genera 50, species 460, chiefly natives of the Tropics. 



Properties. — The species of this highly impoi-timt order are throughout pervaded by a warm 

 and stimulant aromatic oil. Cinnamon is the dried bark of Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, of Ceylon, 

 &c. Camphor is obtiined from many trees of this order, but chiefly from Camphora oflicinarun^ 

 of Japan, Chin.i, &c. Cassia Baric, from Cinnatnomum aromaticura, of China. Persea gratissimn, 

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

 species are also moderately medicinal. The classic Laurel is Laurens nobilis of S. Europe. 



GENERA. 



§ Flowers perfect, the calyi persistent. Leaves evergreen Peksea. 1 



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



* Involucre none. Anthers 4-celled, 4-v.alved. Lvs. lobed Sassafras. 2 



* Involucre 4-lcaved. Anthers 2-celled, 2-valved. Leaves entire Bknzoik. 3 



* Involucre 4-leaved. Anthers 4-celled, 4-valved. Leaves entire TETBANTnEKA. 4 



1. PER'SEA, Gaert. Red Bay. Bay 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 the persistent calyx, con- 

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

 umbels. 



P. Caroliui^usis Mx. Lvs. oblong-lanceolate or oblauceolate, acute or pointed 

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

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

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

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

 swamps. Lvs. evergreen, about 6' by 18", attenuated to a short petiole. Drupe 

 5" by 4". Apr., May. — 'VVGod of a fine rose-color, ones used in cabinet-work. 



2. SAS'SAFRAS, Nees. Sassafras. (Spanish, saZsa/ra*,. saxifrage; 

 from the supposed vesemblance of properties.) Dioecious ; involucre ; 

 calyx 6-parted, equal, deciduous ; $ 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 fleshy pedicel. — Trees deciduous, with the 



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



S. officinale Nees. Lvs. of two forms, ovate and entire, or 3-lobed and cuneate 



at base ; fls. in terminal and axillary, coiymbous racemes, with linear bracts. — V. 



