Laurus nobilis L.
bay
Large shrub or small tree to c. 7 m with many smooth trunks; vegetative parts glabrous or nearly so. Lvs aromatic; petioles 5-13 mm long, often purplish. Lamina 4-13 × 1.5-4.5 cm, narrow-elliptic or elliptic, shining above; base cuneate; apex acute, cuspidate or acuminate. Umbels in upper lf axils; peduncles c. 5 mm long, glabrous or puberulent. Involucral bracts c. 5 mm long, strongly imbricate, glabrous or puberulent. Pedicels ± puberulent. Perianth 3-4 mm long, cream or whitish. ♂ fls with 8-12 stamens. Berry 1.3-1.5 × 0.6-1.3 cm, narrow- to broad-ellipsoid, glossy black.
N.: Auckland Domain, Hawera (Taranaki), Whakarewarewa (Rotorua); S.: Nelson City, and Cheviot Domain (N. Canterbury).
Mediterranean 1983
Most frequent in and around modified forest remnants.
FL Sep-Nov.
Bay or bay laurel persists for a long time in abandoned gardens and is often semi-wild there. It spreads mainly by seed but suckering does occur. Many of the trees in cultivation are ♂ and are the result of vegetative reproduction by suckers. Bay is commonly cultivated for its aromatic lvs which are used for flavouring. In N.Z. there is sometimes confusion between L. nobilis and L. azorica (Seub.) Franco (usually known as L. canariensis Webb et Berth.) and, in fact, the 2 spp. are not as clearly separated as has often been stated [Ferguson, D. K., Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 68: 51-72 (1974)]. He concluded that the differences are quantitative rather than qualitative but suggested that the 2 taxa should continue to be regarded as separate spp. L. azorica is distinguished by the hairy young shoots and lvs; also its petioles are usually longer and its laminas larger than those of L. nobilis. However there is considerable overlap in these characters and in N.Z. some plants seem to be intermediate.
