311 
L A U 
fender for the open air in England; with leaves much 
broader and fmoother than thole of the common fort. 
2. Common bay, feldom hurt with us except in very fe- 
vere winters. Of this there are two varieties ; one with 
plane leaves, the other with leaves waved on the edges. 
3. Narrow-leaved bay, with very long narrow leaves, not 
lb thick as thofe of the two preceding, and of a light 
green : the branches are covered with a purpliih bark, and 
the male flowers come out in fmall clulters from the axils 
of the leaves, fitting clofe to the branches. It is to be 
found in the nurferies with variegated leaves; and other 
trifling varieties are mentioned in the old authors. 
The leaves and berries of this well-known fpecies have 
an aromatic aftringen't tafte, and a fragrant fmell: the ber¬ 
ries are much lfronger than the leaves ; both are account¬ 
ed ftomachic, carminative, and uterine ; in which inten¬ 
tions the leaves are infufed and drunk as a tea, and the 
eflential oil of the berries adminiftered on fugar, or dif- 
folved by means'of mucilages or in fpirit of wine in the 
dofe of afew drops. The principal ule of bay leaves and 
berries however in the prefent practice is external; viz. 
for fomentations, &c. &c. 
There is fome confufion, among perfons ignorant of 
botany, between the fweet bay and what we now com¬ 
monly call laurel, (Prunus laurocerafus,) which is known 
only to more modern times in Europe. What we now 
call bay was formerly called laurel, and the fruit of it 
only named bayes. In Greek it is A cctpuri ; in German, 
lorbeerbaum ; in Danifh, laurbartra e; in Swedifh, lagerbar- 
Jlrad ; in French, laurier-, in Italian, alloro\ inSpanilh, lau¬ 
rel ; in Portuguefe, loiro, loirciro-, in Ruffian, lawr, or lazuro 
woe derezoo. This is certainly the true Lauras of the Ro¬ 
mans, and Daphne of the Greeks, deltined to furnifh the 
Delphic wreath, to grace the head of the triumphant hero, 
to guard the gate of the Caefars and the pontifex maximus, 
to be placed on the houfes of the lick, and to be worn on 
the head of the prieftefs of Delphi, who alfo chewed the 
leaves, and threw them on the facred fire. 
10. Laurus Indica, royal bay, or Indian laurel: leaves 
oblong-lanceolate, perennial, fomewhat glaucous under¬ 
neath, the edges at the bafe rolled back ; racemes elon¬ 
gated. This is a large tree with afeending branches. 
The branches, and particularly the flioots, are tubercled 
with fears from the fallen leaves ; they are alternate, 
curved inwards, wrinkled and fmooth. Native of Ma¬ 
deira; the Canary Iflands, Virginia, Japan, Cochin-china. 
Mr. Miller fays it was brought from the Canary iflands to 
Portugal, where it has been propagated in fo great plenty, 
as to appear now as if it were a native of that country. 
In the year 1620 it was raifed in the Farnefian garden 
from berries brought from India, and was fuppofed to be 
a baftard fort of cinnamon. Loureiro obferves that the 
wood is of a yellow colour, not heavy, good for building, 
but better (till for furniture. This wood is called vignia- 
tico in the ifland of Madeira, and is probably what is im¬ 
ported into England under the name of Madeira mahogany . 
It is hardly to be diftinguiflied from mahogany, except 
that it is fomewhat lefs brown. 
21. Laurus feetens, Madeira laurel, or til : leaves veined, 
elliptic, acute, perennial; axils of the veins villofe under¬ 
neath ; racemes elongated, compound, panicle-form. Na¬ 
tive of Madeira and the Canary iflands. 
12. Laurus perfea, the alligator pear: leaves ovate, co¬ 
riaceous, tranfverfely veined, perennial; flowers corymbed. 
The alligator, or avocado, pear grows to the height of 
thirty feet or more, in the Weft Indies, and has a trunk 
as large as our common apple-tree; the bark is fmooth, 
and of an a(h-colour; the branches are befet with pretty 
large, oblong, fmooth, leaves, like thofe of laurel, of a 
deep-green colour.. The flowers are for the molt part 
produced towards the extremities of the branches. The 
fruit is the fize of one of our biggeft pears, inclofing 
a large feed with two lobes; included in a thin flielL 
This fruit is held in great efteem in the Weft Indies ; the 
pulp is of a pretty firm confluence, and has a delicate 
R U S. 
rich flavour; it gains upon the palate of mod perfons, 
and becomes foon agreeable even to thofe who cannot like 
it at firft ; but it is fo rich and mild, that molt people 
eat it with fome fpice or pungent fubftance to give it a 
poignancy ; and for this purpofe, fome make ufe of wine, 
fome of fugar, fome of lime-juice, but molt of pepper and 
fait. This fruit feems equally agreeable to the horfe, the 
cow, the dog, and the cat, as well as to all forts of birds; 
when plentiful, it makes a great part of the delicacies of 
the negroes. Native of the Weft Indies. 
13. Laurus Borbonia, broad-leaved Carolina bay, or red 
bay : leaves oblong-lanceolate, veined ; fruits oblong, im- 
merfed in a berried receptacle. In fome fituations near 
the fea this rifes with a liraight large trunk to a confider- 
able height; but in the inland parts of the country it is 
of an humbler ftature. The leaves are much longer than 
thofe of the common bay, and are a little woolly on their 
under fide; their edges are a little reflexed ; the veins run 
tranfverfely from the midrib to the lides. The male flow¬ 
ers come out in long bunches from the axils of the leaves; 
the female flowers in loofe bunches on pretty long red 
peduncles. Berries blue in red cups ; growing two and 
fometimes three together. Thefe trees are not common 
in Virginia, except in fome places near the fea. In Caro¬ 
lina they are every-where feen, particularly in low fwampy 
land. The wood is fine-grained, and of excellent ufe tor 
cabinets, &c. Some of the beft refembles watered fatin, 
and is very beautiful. Plunder, regarding it as a genus 
diftindt from Laurus, gave it the name of Borbonia , from 
Gatton Bourbon, ton of Henry IV. and uncle of Louis XIV. 
14. Laurus exaltata, or upright bay : leaves ovate-lan¬ 
ceolate, veined, coriaceous, perennial, flat; racemes' up¬ 
right, compound ; calyx cup-ftiaped, permanent. 15. 
Laurus triandra, or triple-flowered bay : leaves broad-lan¬ 
ceolate, perennial, flat; flowers three-ftamened ; fruit co¬ 
vered by the calyx. 16. Laurus coriacea, or leathery bay: 
leaves ovate-acuminate, flat, veined, finning, coriaceous ; 
racemes upright, fhorter than the leaves. 17; Laurus 
leucoxylon, loblolly whitewood, or white fweetwood : 
leaves oblong-lanceolate, flat, perennial; racemes lhorter 
than the leaves ; calyxes incraflated, waited ; berries black, 
as big as cherries. 18. Laurus membranacea, or mem¬ 
branous bay : leaves oblong, acuminate, veined, convex, 
coriaceous-membranaceous; branches and racemes up¬ 
right, lhorter than the leaf. 19. Laurus patens, or fpread- 
ing bay : leaves ovate-lanceolate, flat, membranaceous, ra¬ 
cemes upright, diffufed, longer than the leaves. 20. 
Laurus pendula, or hanging bay: leaves oblong, veined, 
membranaceous, perennial; racemes loofe ; fruits pendu¬ 
lous ; calyxes deciduous; berries an inch long. 21. 
Laurus floribunda, or flowering bay: leaves ovate-lanceo¬ 
late, flat, membranaceous; flowers raceme-panicled, loofe, 
terminating. All thefe are natives of Jamaica- 
22. Laurus lucida, or finning bay : leaves oblong, fer¬ 
rate; branchlets in threes; flowers axillary, lolitary, fub- 
feflile. 23. Laurus umbellata, or umbelled bay : leaves 
ovate, ferrate; branchlets umbelled; flowers in racemes. 
Natives of Japan. 
24. Laurus seftivalis, or willow-leaved bay: leaves 
veined, oblong, acuminate, annual; wrinkled underneath ; 
branches fuper-axillary. This riles with a Ihrubby branch¬ 
ing ftalk from ten to fixteen feet high. Leaves alternate, 
like the common bay-tree, but more pointed at the end, 
and of a brighter and more lhining green. By Martyn 
(from the Hort. Kew.) the leaves are deferibed as oppo¬ 
site. Flowers white, fix-petalled, at the top of the 
branches, followed by green berries inclofed in reddifli 
cups, and not unlike thofe of fafiafras. Petioles red, an 
inch long. This appears to be the Cornus foliis falicis. 
laureae acuminatis, frudtu faflafras, of Catelby ; and is re- 
prefented on the annexed Plate. Native of North Ame¬ 
rica, in fwampy lands. 
25. Laurus benzoin, the common benjamin-tree : leaves 
nervelefs, ovate, (harp at botli ends, entire, annual. This' 
rifes to the height of ten or twelve feet, dividing into 
, many 
