Overview
Comprehensive Description
Description
General: Laurel family (Lauraceae). California laurel is a perennial, evergreen tree or shrub that is native to California and southern Oregon. The trees have many slender erect branches and a dense crown that can be rounded to pyramidal in shape. The height is variable depending on conditions and the plants can grow from 3 to 45 meters tall. The smallest forms are found under dry conditions and they reach their greatest size on deep alluvial soils near rivers.
The greenish to reddish brown bark, which is thin and smooth on young trees, begins to peel and shed as the trees mature. The alternately arranged leaves are oblong to lance-shaped (2.5 to 11 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide). Leaves are glossy dark yellow-green, thick, and leathery. When crushed, the leaves give off a strong peppery menthol-like odor, which is the reason the early European settlers gave the tree the name pepperwood. The small yellow-green flowers are borne in clusters of 6 to 10 flowers. The round olive-like fruits (1 to 2.5cm in diameter) turn from green to deep brown-purple. Inside the fruit is a single large seed, which is a white kernel surrounded by a light brown shell.
Distribution: California laurel is distributed from San Diego County to Northwestern California and into southwestern Oregon. In California, it occurs in both the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.
Habitat: California laurel trees are abundant near water sources in alluvial flood plains as well as shady hillsides and canyons below 1600 meters. The trees occur in oak woodlands, mixed evergreen forest, redwood forest, and chaparral. In chaparral communities they grow in canyons, valleys, and sometimes in high rocky areas were they are able tap into moisture.
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Alternative names
Balm of heaven, bay, bay laurel, cajeput, California bay, California olive, cinnamon bush, laurel, mountain laurel, myrtle, Oregon myrtle, peppernut tree, pepperwood, sassafras laurel, spicebush, spice-tree; two varieties are recognized, A. c. var. californica and A. c. var. fresnensis.
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Distribution
Geographic distribution
- *Jepson Manual. 1993. Umbellularia californica (Hook. & Arn.) Nutt. University of California, Berkeley, Ca.
Supplier: C. Michael Hogan
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Anonymous. 1986. List-Based Rec., Soil Conserv. Serv., U.S.D.A. Database of the U.S.D.A., Beltsville.
http://www.tropicos.org/Reference/1103
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Hickman, J. C. 1993. Jepson Man.: Higher Pl. Calif. i–xvii, 1–1400. University of California Press, Berkeley.
http://www.tropicos.org/Reference/40453
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Munz, P. A. 1974. Fl. S. Calif. 1–1086. University of California Press, Berkeley.
http://www.tropicos.org/Reference/1719
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Missouri Botanical Garden
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National Distribution
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Adaptation
California bay can regenerate after fires of light to moderate intensity (Howard 1992). The trees can sprout from the root crown and seed germination may increase following fires.
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Physical Description
Morphology
Comments
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Description
- Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Diagnostic Description
Synonym
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Ecology
Dispersal
Establishment
California laurel is a versatile, medium to fast growing tree that can be used for specimen, hedge, and container plantings. California laurel tolerates a wide range of conditions and does well in full sun to deep shade. The trees grow fastest and tallest in deep, fertile soils that are well drained, with regular water availability. California laurel trees can tolerate dry conditions but are known to dieback during droughts (Labadie 1978).
California laurel is propagated from fresh seeds. Seeds can be collected from October to December (Mirov & Kraebel 1939). The seeds are mature when they are dark brown and the fruits are dark purple (Young 2001). Labadie (1978) suggests lightly cracking the seeds before planting to increase germination. Hildreth & Johnson (1976) recommend 90-120 days of cold stratification for best germination. To do this, mix the seeds with 3 parts of loose soil or a mixture of equal parts peat moss and perlite. Lightly moisten the mixture and place it into a plastic bag that can be tightly sealed. Place the bag in a refrigerator kept at 30-42°F and examine them periodically for signs of germination. The seeds generally take around 93 days to germinate. If any of the seeds begin to germinate, plant them immediately keeping in mind that the primary root is first to emerge from the seed. The seeds may be planted directly into 4x4x14 inch containers filled with a standard potting mix of peat moss, fir bark, perlite and sand (Young 2001). Transplant container grown seedlings when they are under 1 year old if possible.
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Statistics of barcoding coverage: Umbellularia californica
Public Records: 5
Species: 5
Species With Barcodes: 1
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Conservation
Conservation Status
National NatureServe Conservation Status
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
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NatureServe Conservation Status
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
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Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
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Threats
Pests and potential problems
California laurel is relatively free of insect pests but can be affected by aphids, greedy scale, ivy scale, soft brown scale, thrups, white fly, laurel white fly, leaf blotch miner, and inconspicuous white fly (Labadie 1978). Heart rot, caused by the fungus Ganoderma applanatum can be controlled by cutting down infected trees to a height of 20cm and allowing them to stump sprout (Howard 1992).
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Management
Cultivars, improved and selected materials (and area of origin)
California laurel trees are readily available from commercial nurseries. There is a variety, U. californica var. fresnensis, which occurs in Fresno County, California (Howard 1992). Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”
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Management
Young trees can be trained to form a single trunk by pruning the suckers as they appear (Labadie 1978). Mature trees can be thinned to reduce the deep shading that their dense canopies can produce. Although evergreen, the trees drop an abundance of leaves, especially in the autumn.
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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems
Benefits
Economic Uses
Comments: The oil of this species may be used as a source of thymol, but because of the high cost of labor and physiological effects, it is not considered the best source of thymol. Nagative attributes are that it irritates mucous membranes, causes irregular respiration and headache.
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Uses
Ethnobotanic: The Cahuilla, Chumash, Pomo, Miwok, Yuki, and Salinan are among the California tribes that value California laurel trees for its many uses.
All parts of the plant, but especially the leaves, contain an aromatic camphor-like volatile oil that has cooling, irritant, insecticidal and germicidal qualities (Chestnut 1902). Laurel leaves were tucked into and under hats or into headbands made of laurel twigs to relieve headaches (Barrett & Gifford 1933). The Salinan tribe treated sudden fits and probably headaches by making a headband of the aromatic laurel leaves (Heinsen 1972). The Catholic Fathers at Mission San Antonio de Padua, borrowing from Salinan medicinal practices, made a hot poultice of laurel leaves mixed with nutmeg, cinnamon, and olive oil, which was repeatedly applied to the head of persons suffering fits until they regained consciousness. The Kashaya Pomo made a poultice of laurel leaves that was used to treat rheumatism and neuralgia (Goodrich et al. 1980). The Pomo and Yuki tribes of Mendocino County treated headaches by placing a single leaf in the nostril or bathing the head with a laurel leaf infusion (Chestnut 1902).
Laurel leaf tea was drunk to treat stomachaches, colds, sore throats, and to clear up mucus in the lungs (Chestnut 1902, Goodrich et al. 1980, Timbrook 1990). The leaves were steeped in hot water to make an infusion that was used to wash sores (Goodrich et al. 1980). Laurel leaves were steeped in baths for rheumatic patients. Infusions of the leaves were used to rid the head of lice. Leaves and branches were placed around the yard to discourage fleas.
Both the flesh and the inner kernel of the olive-like fruit were used as food. The fruits were sun dried until the fleshy outer part had split and loosened from the pit (Goodrich et al. 1980). The dried flesh was removed from the seeds ready to eat. Only the bottom third of the outer dried fruit was eaten as the upper, thinner part contains a higher concentration of the acrid oil that is a component of all parts of the tree (Chestnut 1902). The seeds were roasted until they were crisp and brown (Goodrich et al. 1980). The roasting removes much of the pungency and leaves just a hint of acridity and gives the roasted nuts a spicy or coffee-like flavor. The parched nuts are then shelled and either eaten whole or pounded into a meal. The oily meal is easily pressed into small cakes that are then sun-dried and stored for use in the winter. Both the nuts and the cakes were served with clover, seaweed, buckeye meal, or acorn meal and mush. The roasted seeds were eaten as an accompaniment with clover in order to prevent bloating (Murphey 1959). The seed meal was also made into a beverage that tasted “like chocolate” (Kelly 1978).
California laurel was an important ceremonial plant for the Kashaya Pomo (Goodrich et al. 1980). Branches were placed around the house to protect households against harm. Chumash hunters burned laurel leaves to attract and stupefy deer (Timbrook 1990).
Wildlife: Black-tailed deer browse on the leaves and twigs, which are high in protein (Howard 1992). Birds, squirrels, and other small mammals eat the seeds. Wild pigs eat the seeds and the roots. The trees provide valuable cover for deer, black bear, wild pigs, game birds, and songbirds.
Conservation: California laurel has been used to restore wildlife habitat, riparian vegetation, and flood controls (Howard 1992).
Wood products: California laurel is a high quality wood that is used for cabinetry, furniture, paneling, and interior trim.
Other: California laurel leaves are used as a more robust seasoning substitute for sweet bay leaves (Laurus nobilis) in cooking.
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Risks
Warning
The oils in California laurel leaves may produce toxic effects in some people (Stone 1993).
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Wikipedia
Umbellularia
Umbellularia californica is a large tree native to coastal forests of California and slightly extended into Oregon.[1]
It is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia.
Its pungent leaves have a similar flavor to bay leaves (though stronger), and it may be mistaken for Bay Laurel.
Contents |
Nomenclature
In Oregon, this tree is known as Oregon Myrtle, while in California it is called California Bay Laurel, which may be shortened to California Bay or California Laurel. It has also been called Pepperwood, Spicebush, Cinnamon Bush, Peppernut Tree and Headache Tree. This hardwood tree is endemic to the California Floristic Province. The dry wood has a color range from blonde (like maple) to brown (like walnut). Myrtlewood is considered a world-class tonewood and is sought after by luthiers and woodworkers from around the world.
Habitat
This tree mostly inhabits Redwood forests, California mixed woods, Yellow Pine Forest, and oak woodlands. Bays occur in oak woodlands only close to the coast or in extreme northern California where it is moister.
During the Miocene, oak-laurel forests were found in Central and Southern California Laurel forest. Typical tree species included oaks ancestral to present-day California oaks, as well as an assemblage of trees from the Laurel family, including Nectandra, Ocotea, Persea, and Umbellularia.[2][3] Only one native species from the Laurel family, Umbellularia californica, remains in California today.
Distribution
In the north, it reaches its distributional limit through SW Oregon to (infrequently) Newport Lincoln County, Oregon on the coast, extending from there south through California to San Diego County. It is also found in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It occurs at altitudes from sea level up to 1600 m.
Description
It is an evergreen tree growing to 30 m tall (exceptionally 45 m) with a trunk up to 80 cm thick.
The fragrant leaves are smooth-edged and lens shaped, 3–10 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, similar to the related Bay Laurel though usually narrower, and without the crinkled margin of that species.
The flowers are small, yellow or yellowish-green, produced in a small umbel (hence the scientific name Umbellularia, "little umbel").
The fruit, also known as "California Bay nut", is a round and green berry 2–2.5 cm long and 2 cm broad, lightly spotted with yellow, maturing purple. Under the thin, leathery skin, it consists of an oily, fleshy covering over a single hard, thin-shelled pit, and resembles a miniature avocado. Genus Umbellularia is in fact closely related to the avocado's genus Persea, within the Lauraceae family. The fruit ripens around October–November in the native range.
The California Bay is the primary foliar host for Sudden Oak Death (SOD).
Uses
Historical usage
Umbellularia has long been valued for its many uses by Native Americans throughout the tree's range, including the Cahuilla, Chumash, Pomo, Miwok, Yuki, Coos and Salinan people.[4]
The leaf has been used as a cure for headache, toothache, and earache—though the volatile oils in the leaves may also cause headaches.[5] Poultices of Umbellularia leaves were used to treat rheumatism and neuralgias.[6] Laurel leaf tea was made to treat stomach aches, colds, sore throats, and to clear up mucus in the lungs.[7] The leaves were steeped in hot water to make an infusion that was used to wash sores.[6] The Pomo and Yuki tribes of Mendocino County treated headaches by placing a single leaf in the nostril or bathing the head with a laurel leaf infusion.[7]
The chemical responsible for the headache-inducing effects of Umbellularia is known as Umbellulone.[8]
Both the flesh and the inner kernel of the fruit have been used as food by Native Americans. The fatty outer flesh of the fruit, or mesocarp, is palatable raw for only a brief time when ripe; prior to this the volatile aromatic oils are too strong, and afterwards the flesh quickly becomes bruised, like that of an overripe avocado.[9] Native Americans dried the fruits in the sun and ate only the lower third of the dried mesocarp, which is less pungent.[7]
The hard inner seed underneath the fleshy mesocarp, like the pit of an avocado, cleaves readily in two when its thin shell is cracked. The pit itself was traditionally roasted to a dark chocolate-brown color, removing much of the pungency and leaving a spicy flavor.[6] Roasted, shelled "bay nuts" were eaten whole, or ground into powder and prepared as a drink which resembles unsweetened chocolate. The flavor, depending on roast level, has been described variously as "roast coffee," "dark chocolate" or "burnt popcorn".[10] The powder might also be pressed into cakes and dried for winter storage, or used in cooking.[6] It has been speculated that the nuts of U. californica contain a stimulant;[11][12] however this possible effect has been little documented by biologists.
Modern usage
The leaf can be used in cooking, but is spicier and "headier" than the Mediterranean bay leaf sold in groceries, and should be used in smaller quantity. Umbellularia leaf imparts a somewhat stronger camphor/cinnamon flavor compared to the Mediterranean Bay.[13] The two Bay trees are related within the Laurel family, along with the Cinnamons.
Some modern-day foragers and wild food enthusiasts have revived Native American practices regarding the edible roasted fruit, the bay nut.[9][14][11]
U. californica is also used in woodworking. It is considered a tonewood, used to construct the back and sides of acoustic guitars. The wood is very hard and fine, and is also made into bowls, spoons, and other small items and sold as "myrtlewood".
U. californica is also grown as an ornamental tree, both in its native area, and elsewhere further north up the Pacific coast to Vancouver in Canada, and in western Europe. It is occasionally used for firewood.
One popular use for the leaves is to put them between the bed mattresses to get rid of, or prevent flea infestations.
"Myrtlewood" money
"Myrtlewood" is the only wood still in use as a base "metal" for legal tender.[15] During the 1933 "interregnum of despair" between Franklin Roosevelt's election and his inauguration, the only bank in the town of North Bend, Oregon -- the First National—was forced to temporarily close its doors, precipitating a cash-flow crisis for the City of North Bend. The city solved this problem by minting currency using myrtlewood discs printed on a newspaper press. These coins, in denominations from 25 cents to $10, were used to make payroll and the city promised to redeem them for cash as soon as it became available.
However, when the bank reopened and the city appealed for people to bring their myrtlewood money in to redeem it, many opted to keep their tokens as collector's items. After several appeals, the city gave up and announced that the tokens would remain legal tender in the city of North Bend in perpetuity. Until the 1960s, people occasionally did cash in their tokens, but the remaining pieces have become very valuable through scarcity and historical interest. Fewer than 10 full sets are believed to exist.[16]
Pathology
California Bay Laurel is an important host of Sudden oak death and often reside in forests with Tanoaks, which are also vulnerable to the disease.
Notes
- ^ "Umbellularia californica (Hook. & Arn.) Nutt.". CalFlora. http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=8183. Retrieved 2012-02-5.
- ^ Axelrod, D. I. (2000). "A Miocene (10-12 Ma) Evergreen Laurel-Oak Forest from Carmel Valley, California". University of California Publications: Geological Sciences (Berkeley, CA, USA: University of California Press) 145.
- ^ Barbour, M. G.; Keeler-Wolf, T.; Schoenherr A. A. (2007). Terrestrial Vegetation of California. Berkeley, CA, USA: University of California Press. p. 56.
- ^ "Umbellularia Californica". USDA Plant Guide. http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/doc/cs_umca.doc.
- ^ Barrett, S. A.; Gifford, E. W. (1933) (pdf). Miwok Material Culture. Board of Trustees of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee. pp. 360. ISBN 978-1-4286-6168-4. http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/miwok_material_culture/miwok_material_culture.pdf.
- ^ a b c d Goodrich, J. S.; Lawson, C.; Lawson, V. P. (1980). Kashaya Pomo Plants. Heyday Books. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-930588-86-1. http://www.amazon.com/Kashaya-Pomo-Plants-Jennie-Goodrich/dp/093058886X.
- ^ a b c Chesnut, V. K. (1902). Plants Used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium Vol. VII. Reprinted 1974 by Mendocino County Historical Society. p. 114. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/2940005197115|2940005197115]]. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Plants-used-by-the-Indians-of-Mendocino-County-California/Victor-King-Chesnut/e/2940005197115.
- ^ Nassini, R.; Materazzi, S.; Vriens, J.; Prenen, J.; Benemei, S.; De Siena, G.; La Marca, G.; Andre, E. et al (2011). "The 'headache tree' via umbellulone and TRPA1 activates the trigeminovascular system". Brain. doi:10.1093/brain/awr272. PMID 22036959.
- ^ a b FeralKevin: Foraging, Bushcraft, Permaculture, and Rewilding blog.
- ^ Kelly, I. (1978). Coast Miwok. Handbook of North American Indians. 8. Smithsonian Institution. p. 108. ISBN 0-16-004574-6.
- ^ a b "The California Bay Laurel". Paleotechnics. Paleotechnics.com. http://www.paleotechnics.com/Articles/Bayarticle.html.
- ^ Moerman, D. E. (1998). Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p. 927. ISBN 978-0-88192-453-4.
- ^ Vizgirdas, R. S.; Rey-Vizgirdas, E. M. (2006). Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada. University of Nevada Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-87417-535-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=4fYHi-Eyyt4C&pg=PA108.
- ^ Wild Food Plants blog.
- ^ http://www.realoregongift.com/Myrtle_Tree_Story/myrtle_tree_story.html
- ^ http://www.offbeatoregon.com/H1008e_north-bend-myrtlewood-money-still-legal-tender.html
References
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