Bay laurel

Laurus nobilis

Also known as laurel, poet's laurel and sweet bay. Vigorously suckering shrub or small tree up to 20 m, bole to 60 cm diameter. Evergreen, densely branched and pyramidal in shape with dark blackish bark. Hairless, lance-shaped leaves, 5-13 x 2-5 cm, with numerous oil glands. Strongly aromatic.

What habitats does it normally live in?

Native to Mediterranean. Widely planted elsewhere. Thickets and forest; planted in gardens where it is used in cooking.

What are its young like?

Male and female flowers on separate trees. Female flower has single ovary ripening to black single-seeded berry, 12 mm.

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