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Umbellularia
Also called Californian Bay
California laurel (Umbellularia) is a genus with a single species, Umbellularia californica, a fragrant evergreen tree or shrub native to California and southwest Oregon. It is a shade-tolerant tree of forests and riparian areas, not a common garden plant.
Umbellularia californica is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests and the Sierra foothills of California, and extending into the coastal forests southwestern Oregon and the mountains of northwestern Baja California. It is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia, in the laurel family Lauraceae. The tree's pungent leaves have a similar flavor to bay leaves, though stronger, and it may be mistaken for bay laurel.
In Yuki, it is called pōl'-cum ōl. 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, headache tree, mountain laurel, and balm of heaven.
Umbellularia is found in southwest Oregon and in California south to San Diego County. It is also found in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It occurs from sea level up to 1,600 m (5,200 ft) elevation. It is an introduced species in British Columbia, Washington, and northern Oregon.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Umbellularia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
