334 
ENNEANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Class IX. 
6648indica W. 
5649fce'tens W. 
5650 canariensis TV. en. 
5a51 Persea W. 
5652 Borbonia W. 
5653 carolinensis P. S. 
5654 geniculata Ph. 
5655 Diospyrus P7i. 
5656 Benzoin W. 
5657 Sassafras W. 
935. ANACAR'DIUM. 
5658 occidentale W. 
936. CASSY'THA. 
5659 filiformis TV. 
937. ERIO'GONUM. Mi 
5690 tomentosum Ph. 
5661 sericeum Ph. 
Royal-bay $ \ I tin 
Madeira, or Til.J i ! tm 
Canary ± i_J or 
Alligator Pear f ri f r 
brd.-lvd. -Carol. ' 
Red-Bay 
flexuose m or 
twiggy ^ or 
Benjamin-tree Si m 
Sassafras-tree ^ m 
TV. Cashew-nut. 
common i \Z3 
Cassytha. 
filiform ^ □ cu 
Eriogonum. 
woolly ^ A cu 
silky A cu 
20 mr.o G.y Madeira 1665. 
20 mr.o G.y Madeira 1760. 
10 ... G.Y Canaries 1815. 
30 ... G.Y W. Indies 1739. 
15 ap.my Y.g N. Amer. 1739. 
15 ap.my Y.g N. Amer. 1806, 
6 ap.my Y N. Amer. 1759. 
6 ap.my G.y N. Amer. 1810. 
8 ap.my Y.G N. Amer. 1683. 
50 my.jn G.y N. Amer. 1633. 
TereMntacece. Sp. 1. ? 
12 ... R India 1699. 
Laurince. Sp. 1 — 2. 
3 ap.au W E. Indies 1796. 
Polygonete. Sp. 2 — 3. 
2 my.jn Y Carolina 1811. 
1 jl Y Missouri 1811. 
C l.p PI. alm.t.304f.l 
C l.p 
C l.p 
C Ip PI. alm.t.267.f.l 
C I p Cat. car. 1. t. 63 
L l.p 
L l.p Bot. mag. 14-71 
L l.p Bot. mag. 1470 
S p.s.l Com. hort.l.t.97 
S p.s.l Cat. car. 1. 1. 53 
C r.m Cat. car. 3. t. 9 
C s.p PI. al. t. 172. f. 2 
S l.p Mich. am. t. 24 
S l.p 
TRIGYNIA. 
938. RHE'UM. TV. 
5662 Rhaponticum TV. 
5663 undulatum W. 
Rhubarb. 
common 
Bucks 
t A cul 
* A cul 
Polygonees. Sp. 7—1 
4 my.jn W.g Asia 
4 my.jn W.g China 
1573. 
1734. 
R CO 
R CO 
Sabb. hort.l.t.34 
Ameen. ac. 3. t. 4 
History, Use, Propagation, Culture, 
deleterious effects. The greater part of the camphor brought to Europe is obtained in Sumatra from the 
Dryobalanops Camphora. This tree is cut and split, and the camphor which is found concreted in the heart of 
it is picked out and washed in a ley of soap. Zea describes a variety of camphor "which is procured in South 
America from a tree, the botanical characters of which are not yet known, but which is termed caratta by the 
natives. The camphor exudes from the bark in the form of tears. {Thomson's London Dispensatory, 356.) 
L. Chloroxylon has its specific from the color of tlie wood, x^^^?"^} green, and ^uXov, wood ; it is esteemed 
one of the best timber trees in Jamaica, and used on all occasions where strength and durability are required : 
being both hard and tough, it answers better than any other wood for the cogs of sugar mills. 
L. nobilis, the Laurier, Fr., Lorbecrbaum, Ger., Alloro,', Ital., Laurel, Span., the Laurus of the Romans, 
and Daphne of the Greeks, was designated nobilis.hy Linnaeus, because it was consecrated to priests, sacrifices, 
and heroes in the ages of antiquity, and has been celebrated accordingly. To the poet and sculptor it still 
affords emblems for victorious heroes ; and it is also used in cookery and medicine. In the south of Italy it 
grows to a sufficient height to be considered a tree ; but is so prolific in suckers and low shoots as always to 
have the character of ,a shrub. It forms a dense and yet broken and picturesque mass of a very fine deep 
green, inclining to olive, and is abundantly covered with berries, which are dark purple or black, when ripe. 
Oil is obtained from the latter by boiling water. Both the leaves and the berries have a sweet fragrant odour, 
and an aromatic, astringent taste ; and the oil, which is of a yellowish green color, has a stronger but similar 
odor and taste. Water distilled fiom the leaves shews traces of prussic acid ; and it is probably on this 
component that their medicinal and poisonous property depend. Leaves, berries, and oil are narcotic and 
carminative. {Thomson'' s London Dispensatory, 360.) 
L. indica grows in the Canary Isles and Virginia. The wood is of a yellow color, not heavy, good for 
building, but better still for furniture : it is called Figniatico in the island of Madeira, and is probably what is 
imported into England under the name of Madeira mahogany. It is hardly to be distinguished from 
mahogany, except that it is somewhat less brown. {Hawksw. T^oy. ii. p. 5.) 
L. Persea (Persea is a name under which Theophrastus describes an Egyptian tree not now known,) has a 
trunk as large as our common apple tree ; the bark is smooth, and of an ash color ; the branches are very 
succulent and soft, beset with pretty large oblong smooth leaves, like those of laurel, of a deep green color. 
The flowers are, for the most part, produced towards the extremities of the branches. The fruit is the size of 
one of our biggest pears. The pulp of the fruit is covered with a tough skinny coat, and contains a 
large rugged seed, which is wrapped up in one or two thin membranous covers. This fruit is held in 
great esteem in the West Indies : the pulp is of a pretty firm consistence, and has a delicate rich 
flavor ; it gains upon the palate of most persons, and becomes soon agreeable even to those who cannot 
like it at first ; but it is so rich and mild, that most people make use of some spice or pungent substance 
to give it a poignancy ; and, for this purpose, some make use of wine, some of sugar, some of lime- 
juice, but most of pepper and salt. This fruit seems equally agreeable to the horse, the cow, the dog, and 
the cat, as well as to all sorts of birds; when plentiful, it makes a great part of the delicacies of the negroes. 
{Browne. ) 
L. Borbonea was regarded by Plumier as a genus distinct from Laurus, and he applied what is now its specific 
name, in memory of Gaston Bourbon, son of Henry IV. and uncle of Louis XIV. It is a very common tree 
in swamps in Carolina, and affords a fine grained ;wood excellent for cabinets ; some of the best resembles 
watered satin. 
L. Sassafras (Sassafras is an alteration of the Spanish word Salsafras, which signifies Saxifrage, the virtues 
of which are attributed by the Spanish Americans to this plant,) has the flowers often imperfect as to the male 
and female organs, which, before observation was so accurate and scientific as at present, led to the conclusion 
