RED BAY. 
S5 
form : its trunk is generally crooked and divided into several thick limbs, 
at 8, 10 or 12 feet from the ground. It differs in this respect from the 
Loblolly Bay, the Sweet Gum, the Tupelo, and the Oaks, whose trunks 
are straight and of nearly an uniform size for 20 or 30 feet. 
Upon old trunks the bark is thick and deeply furrowed ; that of the 
young branches on the contrary, is smooth and of- a beautiful green color. 
The leaves are about 6 inches long, alternate, oval-acuminate, whitish or 
glaucous on the lower surface, and ever-green. When bruised they diffuse 
a strong odor resembling that of the Sweet Bay, Laurus nobilis, and may 
be employed in cookery. The flowers are disposed in small, axillary 
bunches, springing between the leaf and the twig, and are supported by 
slightly downy peduncles. The fruit or seed is oval and very similar to 
that of the Sassafras. The’ seeds germinate with ease, and the old trees 
are surrounded by hundreds of young plants. 
The wood of the Red Bay is of a beautiful rose color: it is strong, has 
a fine, compact grain, and is susceptible of a brilliant polish. Before 
Mahogany became the reigning fashion in cabinet-making, this wood was 
commonly employed in the Southern States, and afforded articles of furni- 
ture of the highest beauty. That it is no longer used, is attributable to 
the difficulty of finding trees of sufficient diameter, and to the facility of 
obtaining Mahogany, which is imported in large blocks from St. Domingo, 
at a moderate price. 
It has lately been discovered that the Red Bay, like the Red Cedar, may 
be usefully employed in ship-building, as it unites the properties of strength 
and durability. In the southern part of Georgia and in East Florida, when 
stocks are met with of considerable dimensions, they are sent, in the form 
of square timber, to New York and Philadelphia with the Live Oak and 
the Red Cedar. 
In fine, the Red Bay is a handsome tree, whose wood is elegant and of 
a superior quality, but which rarely attains such dimensions as to afford 
important resources to the arts ; Such, at least, appears to be the result of 
experience as far as it has gone. 
PLATE LXXXII. 
A branch with leaves and seeds of the natural size. 
Vol. IL— 12 
