Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Laurales > Lauraceae > Umbellularia > Umbellularia californicaUmbellularia californica (California laurel)Synonyms: Drimophyllum pauciflorum; Litsea californica (homotypic); Oreodaphne californica; Oreodaphne regalis; Persea causticans; Tetranthera californica (homotypic); Tetranthera causticans; Umbellularia californica f. pendula; Umbellularia californica var. californica Umbellularia californica is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests of California and slightly extended into the state of Oregon. It is endemic to the California Floristic Province. It is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia. The tree was formerly known as Oreodaphne californica. 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. |
| Air Quality Improvement [1] | High | | Allergen Potential [1] | Medium-High | | Carbon Capture [1] | Medium-Low | | Screening - Summer [2] | Dense | | Screening - Winter [2] | Dense | | Shade Percentage [1] | 91 % | | Temperature Reduction [1] | Medium-High | | Wind Reduction [1] | High |  | | Bloom Period [2] | Spring | | Drought Tolerance [2] | Low | | Edible [3] | May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details. | | Fire Tolerance [2] | Medium | | Flower Type [3] | Hermaphrodite | | Frost Free Days [2] | 4 months 20 days | | Fruit/Seed Abundance [2] | High | | Fruit/Seed Begin [2] | Spring | | Fruit/Seed End [2] | Summer | | Growth Form [2] | Single Stem | | Growth Period [2] | Spring, Summer, Fall | | Growth Rate [2] | Moderate | | Hazards [3] | The foliage can cause skin irritations; A volatile oil in the leaves can cause sneezing and headaches if inhaled; | | Janka Hardness [4] | 1270 lbf (576 kgf) Medium | | Leaf Type [3] | Evergreen | | Lifespan [2] | Perennial | | Propagation [2] | Bare Root, Container, Cutting, Seed | | Root Depth [2] | 16 inches (41 cm) | | Scent [3] | The leaves emit a powerful camphor-like scent when bruised; So strong is the aroma that it can cause headaches and dizziness; | | Seed Spread Rate [2] | Slow | | Seed Vigor [2] | Medium | | Seeds Per [2] | 300 / lb (661 / kg) | | Shape/Orientation [2] | Erect | | Specific Gravity [5] | 0.55 | | Structure [3] | Tree | | Usage [3] | The leaves are used as an insect repellent, they are especially effective against fleas; They have disinfectant properties and contain small quantities of camphor; The leaves are burnt as a fumigant to get rid of fleas;
The leaves have been hung in bunches to freshen the air; The aroma of the leaves gives some people headaches;
An essential oil is obtained from the leaves by steam distillation;
Beige and green dyes are obtained from the fruits (used without the seeds). Very aromatic, the dye retains its fragrance for many years;
Wood - hard, close grained, heavy, strong, takes a high polish. A beautifully textured wood, it is used for high quality cabinet making, panelling etc; | | Vegetative Spread Rate [2] | None | | | Flower Color [2] | Yellow | | Foliage Color [2] | Green | | Fruit Color [2] | Yellow | | | Fall Conspicuous [2] | Yes | | Flower Conspicuous [2] | Yes | | Fruit Conspicuous [2] | Yes | | | Height [3] | 82 feet (25 m) | | Width [3] | 33 feet (10 m) | | | Hardiness Zone Minimum [1] | USDA Zone: 9 Low Temperature: 20 F° (-6.7 C°) → 30 F° (-1.1 C°) | | Hardiness Zone Maximum [1] | USDA Zone: 11 Low Temperature: 40 F° (4.4 C°) → 50 F° (10 C°) | | Light Preference [2] | Mostly Shady | | Soil Acidity [2] | Neutral | | Soil Fertility [2] | Intermediate | | Water Use [1] | Moderate |
View Plants For A Future Record : Umbellularia californica |
Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1i-Tree Species v. 4.0, developed by the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station and SUNY-ESF using the Horticopia, Inc. plant database. ♦ 2USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture ♦ 3Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License♦ 4Wood Janka Hardness Scale/Chart J W Morlan's Unique Wood Gifts ♦ 5Forest Inventory and Analysis DB version 5.1, May 4, 2013, U.S. Forest Service ♦ 6HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández ♦ 7Ben-Dov, Y., Miller, D.R. & Gibson, G.A.P. ScaleNet 4 November 2009 ♦ 8Tamias merriami, Troy L. Best and Nancy J. Granai, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 476, pp. 1-9 (1994) |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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