LAU 
footflalks, and flowers colleffed into heads. Laurus 
Americana, foliis fubrotundis, floribus in capitulum 
coiledtis. ITouft. MSS. American Bay-tree with roundiflo 
leaves , and flowers collected into heads. 
1 1 . Laurus ( Cinnamomum ) foliis trinerviis ovato-oblongis 
nervis verfus apicem evanefcentibus. Flor. Zeyl. 145. 
Laurel with oblong leaves which diminijh toward their 
end. Cinnamomum foliis latis ovatis frugiferum. 
Bunn. Zeyl. 62. Cinnamon-tree. 
12. Laurus ( Canella ) foliis triplinerviis lanceola- 
tis. Flor. Zeyl. 146, Laurel with fpear-Jhaped leaves , 
having three veins. Cinnamomum, fc. Canella Mala- 
barica, fc. Javanenfis. C. B. P. 409. Cajfla or Wild 
Cinnamon. 
13. Laurus ( Per flea ) foliis venofis ovatis coriaceis pe- 
rennantibus, fioribus corymbofis. Lin. Sp. 529. Bay- 
tree with oval , thicks veined leaves , vohich continue through 
the yeas\ and flowers . growing in a corymbus. Perfea. 
Cluf. Hift. 1. p. 2. 
The firft fort is the broad-leaved Bay, which grows 
naturally in Afia, Spain and Italy •, from all thofe 
places I have received the berries feveral times. This 
is almoft too tender to thrive in the open air in Eng- 
land, for in fevere winters they are frequently killed, 
or their branches are fo much injured as to appear fo 
for a long time ; therefore they are generally planted 
in tubs, and removed into the green-houfe in winter. 
The leaves of this fort are much broader than thofe 
of the common Bay, and are fmoother : there are 
male and female plants of this, as there are alfo of all 
the other forts. 
The fecond is the common Bay~; of this there are 
plants with plain leaves, and others which are waved 
on their edges, but they feem to be the fame fpecies •, 
for the young plants which I have railed from the ber- 
ries of one, have been a mixture of both forts ; but 
this is undoubtedly a different fpecies from the firft, 
for this fort thrives well in the open air, and is feldom 
hurt, except in very fevere winters ; whereas the firft 
will fcarce live abroad, while young, in common win- 
ters, without fhelter. 
The third fort hath very long narrow leaves which 
are not fo thick as thofe of the two former, and are 
of a light green the branches are covered with a pur- 
plifh bark, and the male flowers come out in fmall 
clufcers from the wings of the leaves fitting clofe to 
the branches. This fort is too tender to thrive in 
the open air in England, fo the plants are generally 
kept in pots or tubs, and houfed in winter as the firft 
fort. 
The fourth fort grows naturally at Madeira and the 
Canary Iflands, from whence it was formerly brought 
to Portugal, where it has been propagated in fo great 
plenty, as to appear now as if it was a native of that 
country. In the year 1620, this plant was raifed in 
the Farnefian garden, from berries which were brought 
from India, and was fuppofed to be a baftard fort of 
Cinnamon. This grows to the height of thirty or forty 
feet in temperate countries, but it is too tender to 
thrive in the open air in England, fo the plants are 
kept in pots and tubs, and removed into the green- 
houfe in winter. 
The leaves of this fort are much larger than thofe of 
the common Laurel ; they are thick, fmooth, and of 
a light green, the foot-ftalks inclining to red ; the 
branches are regularly difpofed on every fide, and the 
male flowers are difpofed in long bunches ; they are 
of a whitifh green colour ; the berries are much larger 
than thole of the other forts. It is called by fome the 
Royal Bay, and by others the Portugal Bay. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Carolina in great 
abundance, where it is called the Red Bay ; it alfo is 
found in fome other parts of America, but not in fo 
great plenty. In fome fituations near the fea, this 
riles with a ftrait trunk to a confiderable height, and 
. their Items are large, but in the inland parts of the 
country they are of an humbler ftature. The wood 
of this tree is much efteemed, being of a fine grain, fo 
is of excellent ufe for cabinets, &c. 
The leaves of this fort are much longer than thofe of 
LAU 
the common Bay, and are a little woolly on their un- 
der fide, their edges are a little reflexed ; the veins run 
tranfverfly from the midrib to the.fides, and the male 
flowers come out in long bunches from the wings of 
the leaves. The female trees produce their flowers in 
loofe bunches, Handing upon pretty long foot-ftalks, 
v/hich are red ; thefe are fucceeded by blue berries 
fitting in red cups. 
This fort is alfo too tender to thrive in the open air in 
England ; for although fome plants have lived abroad 
in a mild winter, which were planted in a warm fitu- 
ation, yet the firft fharp winter has deftroyed them, lb 
that thefe plants muft be kept in pots or tubs, and 
houfed in winter like the former. 
Thefe five forts may be propagated by layers, and 
the common fort is generally propagated by fuckers ; 
but thofe plants never keep to one item, but generally 
fend out a great number of fuckers from their roots, 
and form a thicket, but do not advance in height ; 
therefore the belt way to have good plants, is to raife 
them from the berries, when they can be procured, for 
the plants which come from feeds, always grow larger 
than the others, and do not put out luckers from their 
roots, fo may be trained up with regular Items. The 
belt way is to fow the berries in pots, and plunge 
them into a moderate hot-bed, which will bring up 
the plants much fooner than if they are fown in the 
full ground, fo they will have a longer time to get 
ftrength before winter ; but the plants muft not be 
forced with heat, therefore they fnould be inured to 
bear the open air the beginning of June, into which 
they fhould be removed, where they may remain till 
autumn ; then the pots fhould be placed under a com- 
mon frame, that the plants may be protected from 
hard fro ft, but in mild weather they may enjoy the 
free air ; for while the plants are fo young, they are 
in danger of fuffering in hard froft, even the common 
fort of Bay. The fpring following, thofe forts which 
will not live in the open air, fhould be each tranf- 
planted into feparate pots ; but the common fort may 
be planted in nurfery-beds fix inches afunder each 
way, where they may grow two years, by which time 
they will be fit to plant where they are defigned to 
grow. The other forts muft be conftantly kept in 
pots, fo fhould every year be new potted, and as they 
advance in growth, they muft have larger pots. As 
thefe plants require fhelter in winter, a few of each 
fort will be enough for a large green-houfe. 
The common Bay will make a variety in all ever- 
green plantations ; and as it will grow under the fhaae 
of other trees, where they are not too clofe, fo it is, 
very proper to plant in the borders of woods, where 
it will have a good effeft in winter. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in North America, 
where it rifes to the height of ten or twelve feet, di- 
viding into many branches, garnifhed with ovalfpear- 
fhaped leaves near three inches long, and one inch 
and a half broad, fmooth on their upper furface, but 
with many tranfverfe veins on their under fide ; thefe 
leaves fall off in the autumn like other deciduous 
trees. The flowers I have but once feen, thofe 
were all male, and of a white herbaceous colour ; 
but if I remember right, they had but fix ftamina in 
each. 
The Saffafras-tree is alfo very common in moil parts 
of North America, where it fpreads greatly by its 
roots, fo as to fill the ground with fuckers wherever 
they are permitted to grow ; but in England this 
fhrub is with difficulty propagated. In America it is 
only a fhrub, feldom rifing more than eight or ten 
feet high *, the branches are garnifhed with leaves of 
different fhapes and fizes, fome them are oval and en- 
tire, about four inches long and three broad ; others 
are deeply divided into three lobes ; thefe are fix 
inches long, and as much in breadth from the extre- 
mity of the two outfide lobes ; they are placed alter- 
nately upon pretty long foot-ftalks, and are of a lucid 
green ; thefe fall offin the autumn, and in the fpring, 
foon after the leaves begin to come out, the flowers 
appear] uft below them, upon flender foot-ftalks, each 
fuftaining 
