Laurus nobilis

Bay laurel, Bay Laurel

Family: Lauraceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Bay laurel is a naturalized shrub found in southern California, specifically Orange County, in rich, well-drained soil at elevations below 10 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces small greenish-yellow flowers in clusters of about 5 blooms along leafless short shoots. Growing up to 10 meters tall with a dense, multi-stemmed form, it develops a robust woody structure with broad, elliptical leaves. Its leaves are 6 to 11 centimeters long and 3 to 4 centimeters wide, with sparse appressed hairs on the underside and a petiole shorter than the leaf blade. The fruit is an ellipsoid drupe approximately 1.5 centimeters long, maturing to a dark purple or nearly black color.

Habitat: Rich, well-drained soil

Bloom period: Feb-Apr

Elevation: < 10 m

Bioregions: SCo (Orange Co.)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.