Umbellularia californica

Photographs

My photos:

Closeup of leafy branch and flowers, taken at Caspers Wilderness Park in January.

Click below to see more of the plant.

More photos:

Botanical description and good photos of all parts of the plant from Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources.

click photo to enlarge

Plant Information

Lauraceae

In the garden:

This plant is a large evergreen, with a broad crown, which can reach a height of 15 to 100 feet. In dry environments, this tree may remain as an erect shrub. It is easily identified by its pungent odor. Bark is greenish to reddish-brown. Leaves are thick and lance-shaped, often reaching a length of 5 inches. Flowers are yellow-green and occur from December to May. Fruit is greenish, becoming dark purple when ripe. It is commonly used as an ornamental, serving as a screen, a background planting, or a tall hedge. It will grow on a slope. Also, it is a good patio or street tree when thinned to one or a few trunks. It will grow in deep shade and will eventually become large enough to serve as a shade tree itself. It casts a very dense shade unless thinned. In the garden, it tends to grow slowly, about 1 foot per year. For best and fastest growth, plant in a deep soil with ample water; however, it will tolerate many other conditions, including drought.

In the wild:

California-laurel grows in diverse climates, ranging from the cool, humid conditions found in dense coastal forests to the hot, dry atmospheres found inland in open woodlands and chaparral. California-laurel grows to tree size in a wide variety of topographic locations and kinds of soil if moisture conditions are favorable. It grows on steep mountain slopes, exposed ridges, coastal bluffs, and rocky outcrops, as well as in protected valleys, alluvial flats, deep canyons and ravines, and low hills. Even in dry, hot climates it can become a large tree on moist sites. California-laurel is more commonly found in mixture with other species than in pure stands. Choice pure stands were eliminated when coastal and inland valleys were cleared for agriculture, and only scattered groves and tracts of large mature trees remain - many in parks or preserves. Pure stands of tall young growth are also limited, but pure stands of shorter trees, thickets, or prostrate mats are common on coastal bluffs, in canyons, and elsewhere in California. (ref)

Ethnobotany:

The leaves are useful in cooking as a more potent substitute for Laurus noblis (true bay leaves). Decorative items made from the hard, beautifully grained wood are widely marketed as myrtlewood. Native folks had a variety of medicinal uses for various parts of the plant, predominantly for chest ailments. They ate fruit/nut, and used the leaves to freshen the air, chase out fleas, disguise human scent for hunting, and other typical functions for highly aromatic plants.

Umbellularia californica (California Bay, Oregon Myrtle)