118 
LAURUS— LEMNA. 
flowered, tendrils with 2 and 4 leafets ; 
legumes ovate, compressed, with two nar- 
row wings on the back. Ex. 
grandijio'rus, (11.) remarkable for the 
large size of its flowers. Ex. 
tingitafnus, (tangier pea,) a tall plant, 
the flowers of which are dark purple. Ex. 
magellan"icus, (2i.) the foliage very 
beautiful with blue flowers. Ex. 
piisil"his, (p. M.) cirrhi 2-leaved, simple ; 
leaves linear lanceolate, peduncles 1-flow- 
ered, long , stipules falcate ; stem angled 
and winged. S. 
decapliyV'lus, (p. l/-) leaves in 5 pairs ; 
leafets oval-oblong, mucronate ; peduncles 
3-4-flowered ; stem 4-angled, S. 
LAU'RUS. 9—1. (Lauri.) [From Zaws, praise, 
because it was used to crown the heads of 
distinguished persons.] 
ben"zoin, (spice bush, fever bush, g. y. 
Ap. ^ .) leaves wedge-obovate, whitish, sub- 
pubescent beneath ; flowers in clustered 
umbels ; buds and pedicels glabrous. 4-10 f. 
sas"safras, (sassatrastree, y. M. ^.) 
leaves entire and lobed on the same plant ; 
flowers mostly dicBcious. 10-25 f. 
car oliii" crisis, leaves perennial, oval, lan- 
ceolate, coriaceous, glaucous beneath; ped- 
uncles simple, terminated with a few-flow- 
ered fascicle ; outer segments of the calyx 
half as long as the inner. A large shrub. 
Flowers polygamous, in small clusters, pale 
yellow ; drupe dark blue. From Georgia 
to Delaware. 
perse' a, alligator pear of the West Indies, 
an eatable fruit. 
citmamo'mim, the inner bark affords the 
cinnamon of commerce. Indies. 
no'bilis, leaves veined, lanceolate and 
perennial ; flowers 4-cleft. This is the po- 
et's laurel, the fabled favorite of Apollo. 
It is a handsome evergreen shrub ; berries 
and leaves fragrant. Native of Italy. 
camphora'tus, (camphor-tree, 'f>.) leaves 
about 3-nerved, lance-ovate ; panicle spread- 
ing. From Japan. 
oestiva'lis, leaves veined, oblong, acumi- 
nate, rugose underneath ; branches axillary 
above. S. 
cateshya'na, (w. M. 1? .) panicles on short 
peduncles ; segments of the corolla oblong, 
obtuse, nearly equal, deciduous; leaves pe- 
rennial, broad-lanceolate. 6 9 f S. 
gemcula'ta, (y. Ap. ^ .) stem<^ichotomous, 
fiexuous; flowers in umbels ; leaves small, 
oval, smooth. 10-15 f. iS. 
melisscefo'lia, (y. Ap. 11.) root creeping; 
leaves cordate-lanceolate, strongly veined, 
pubescent beneath ; flowers in clustered 
umbels ; buds and pedicels villose. 2-3 f. S. 
LAVANDU'LA. 13—1. (Lahiata.) [From 
lavo. 10 wash, so called, because, on account 
of its perfume, it was used in baths.] 
spica'ta, (lavender, Au. 2^.) leaves ses- 
sile, lance linear, with revolute margins; 
spike interruptedly naked. Ex. 
LAVATE'RA. 15—12. {Malvaceae.) [In hon- 
-orof Lavater, a celebrated writer on physi- 
ognomy.] 
trimen"sis, (red lavatera,) lower leaves 
angled ; upper ones 3-lobed, with the mid 
die lobe longest ; peduncles solitary. 2 £ 
Introduced. 
arbo'rea, (tree-mallows, S. $ .) stem 
woody ; leaves downy, plaited, 7-angled ; 
flowers large, purplish, rose-color, darker 
on the base, on aggregated, axillary stalks 
Ex. 
thurin" gia' ca, (gay mallows, 2^.) pedun- 
cles solitary ; lower leaves angled ; upper 
ones 3-lobed, the middle lobe longest. 
LECHE'A. 3—3. 
ma'jor, (pin-weed, g-p. Ju. 2^.) erect, hir- 
sute ; leaves lauce-oblong, mucronate ; pan- 
icle leafy ; branches bearing flowers at 
their tops ; flowers in fascicled racemes, 
one-way, on short pedicels. Dry woods and 
hills. 1-2 f. 
mi' nor, stem assurgent, smoothish, branch- 
ed; leaves linear-lanceolate, acute; pani- 
cle leafy ; branches elongated ; flowers 
racemose. 8 i. 
thymifo'lia, (Ju. 2^.) whole plant whitish- 
villose ; stem erect ; pedicels very short; 
leaves linear, acute ; panicle leafy, elonga- 
ted ; branches very short ; flowers minute, 
in lateral and terminal fascicles. 1 f. 
LE'DUM. 10— I. (EricecE.) [From the Zedon 
of the ancient Greeks, supposed to have 
been a species of (Jistus.] 
latifo'lium, (Labrador tea, w. r. J. 2^.) 
leaves oblong, replicate at the margin, fer- 
ruginous, tomentose beneath ; stamens 5, 
as long as the corolla. Evergreen shrub, 
irregularly branched, woolly; flowers in 
long, terminal corymbs. 
palus"tre, leaves linear, revolute on the 
margin ; stamens 10, longer than the corol- 
la. A shrub smaller than the preceding, 
with nan-ower leaves. 
buxifo'lia, a small compact-growing plant 
with box-like leaves; clusters of white 
flowers, petals tinged with pink. 
LEER"SIA. 3 -2. (Graminem.) [In honor of 
Leers, who wrote on botany in 1775.] 
virginf'ica, (white grass, Ju. y. If.) pani- 
cle simple ; the lower branches diffuse ; 
flowers appressed, monandrous, sparingly 
ciliate on the keel. 2-4 f. 
oryzoi'des, (cut grass, Au. 2X-) panicle 
.diffuse, sheathed at the base ; flowers tri- 
androus, spreading; keel of the glumes 
conspicuously ciliate. 3-5 f. 
len"ticula'r'L>i, (catch-fly grass, Ju. li) 
panicle erect ; flowers large, nearly orbic- 
ular, diandrous, imbricate ; keel and nerves 
cihate. 2-4 f 
LEIOPIIYL"LUM. 10-1. (Ericea) [From 
leios. smooth, and phullon, leaf.] 
bvxifo^li/im, [sand myrtle, w. ^.) leaves 
small, lance-oval, entire, glabrous, lucid, 
revolute at the margin ; corymbs terminal 
6-18 i. 
LEM"NA. 19—2. (Naides.) [From Zmo, de- 
prived of bark ] 
trisul"ca, (duck's meat, 0. f) fronds thin, 
elliptic-lanceolate, caudate at one extremi- 
ty, at the other serrate ; root a single fibre. 
Young fronds produced from lateral clefts, 
of the same shape as the parent plant, and 
