Mezilaurus is a genus of plant in the family Lauraceae. It is a neotropical |regnum = Plantae|unranked_divisio = Angiospermsgenus consisting of 18-27 species, mostly hardwood evergreen trees, occurring from Costa Rica to the southeast of Brazil (Werff 1987). 13 species have been identified in Brazil, distributed mostly in the Amazon region. In Rio de Janeiro state only M. navalium (Allemão) Taub. ex Mez has been recorded. Some species have been reported within the Cerrado and in semideciduous forest surrounding the Pantanal Matogrossense. The name Mezilaurus (half laurel) refers to its similar appearance to the genus Laurus.