LAURACEAE The Laurel Family

 
 

The Lauraceae are characterized by:

 

  • simple, usually aromatic leaves
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  • anthers opening by flaps of tissue folding upward, forming 2-4 pores through which the pollen is released
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  • paired nectaries at the base of each filament (usually)
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  • single-seeded drupes
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The Lauraceae is a family of about 2500 species of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs.  It is most diverse in the tropics of southeast Asia and South America, but several economically important species are found in temperate areas.

The avocado, the edible fruit of Persea americana, is a cash crop in the U.S. and Mexico.  Today it is known only in cultivation and is presumably extinct in the wild.  Some of our better-known spices and herbs are derived from members of the Lauraceae, due to the presence of aromatic oils in the leaves, stems, and bark.  For example, cinnamon is obtained from the bark of Cinnamomum zeylandicum, and camphor from yet another species in this genus.  Bay leaves, a commonly used herb, is derived either from the bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) or the California bay tree (Umbellularia californica).  The aromatic woods from many tropical genera of Lauraceae are used in cabinetry.

 

 

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 Site created and maintained by Matthew Willmann and Melissa Luckow Cornell University, Ithaca, New York September 1998