LAURACEiE. 549 



Group XXXVI. — Daphnales. 



Order 88.— LAURACE^E.— Lindley. 



Calyx 4 — 6-cleft, with an imbricated aestivation, the limb sometimes wanting. Petals 

 none. Stamens definite, perigynou?, opposite the segments of the calyx, and mostly 

 twice as numerous ; the innermost sterile or deficient, the six outermost seldom abortive. 

 Anthers adnate, 2 — 4-celled, cells bursting by a longitudinal persistent valve ; the outer 

 anthers valved inwards, and the inner valved outwards, or all with the valves on the inner 

 side ; inner filaments usually having glands at base. Ovary superior, 1-celled, with 1 — 2 

 single, pendulous ovules. Style simple. Stigma obtuse, 2 — 3-lobed. Fruit baccate or 

 drupaceous, naked or covered, often placed upon or within the enlarged apex of the pe- 

 duncle. Seed exalbuminous. Embryo inverted. Radicle very short, superior. 



An important order, composed of trees and shrubs, with exstipulate, alter- 

 nate, seldom opposite, entire or rarely lobed leaves. The flowers, which are 

 perfect, unisexual, or polygamous, are in panicles or umbels. They are 

 principally natives of cool situations within the tropics ; some few, however, 

 extend beyond these limits. They are all more or less aromatic and fra- 

 grant ; some have aromatic fruits, others have fragrant and stimulant or 

 febrifuge bark, whilst others afford Camphor. 



Besides those to be noticed more particularly, the following deserve men- 

 tion : Persea gratissima bears a large fruit, highly esteemed in the West 

 Indies, under the name of " Avocado pear;" the seeds are very astringent, 

 and have proved beneficial in diseases of the bowels and monorrhagia. The 

 leaves and buds, according to M. Ricord Madiana {Jour, Pharm. xv.), are 

 employed as emmenagogues, carminatives, vulneraries, antispasmodics, &c. 

 Dr. Lindley is of opinion, that the Laur-us caustica of Molina, which is 

 said to be so acrid and poisonous, is a species of this genus. Caryodaphne 

 densiflora, a native of Java, is stated by Blume (Nees, Laurin. 228) to have 

 a brownish, tonic bark, containing much bitter, balsamic extractive. The 

 leaves are aromatic, .and used in infusion in spasmodic affections of the 

 bowels, and in convulsive attacks of pregnant women. The inner bark of 

 Mespilodaphne pretiosa has a very agreeable odour and taste, and is known 

 in Brazil as the Casca pretiosa. Several species of Aydendron have aro- 

 matic fruits — thus A. cujumary, a native of Brazil, affords oily seeds, which 

 are said, by Martius, to be used as a substitute for the Pichurim bean, in 

 atony of the stomach and disorders of the bowels. (Ferussac, Bull. xxiv. 

 62.) A. laurel is thought, by Humboldt, to produce the Pichurim beans, 

 once so celebrated for their febrifuge properties; but Nees is of opinion, that 

 such is not the origin of these seeds, and refers them to Nectandra puchury, 

 on the authority of Martius, who says that they are certainly not the pro- 

 duct of the A. laurel. [Laur us pichurim, Rich.) 



The bark of Nectandra cymbarum is bitter, aromatic, and stomachic ; it 

 is called " Orinoko sassafras," from its analogy to the true Sassafras. Mar- 

 tius suspects that it forms one of the ingredients of the famous VVoorali poison. 

 The bark of N. cinnamomoides has the smell and flavour of cinnamon, and 

 is employed as a substitute for it in some parts of South America, and is 

 known as " Santa Fe cinnamon." Pichurim beans, as before stated, are the 

 product of N puchury ; this fruit, which has the flavour of inferior nut- 

 megs, is esteemed in Brazil as very useful in bowel diseases, colic, stran- 



