Accession Count: 7
Common Name:
bay laurel, sweet bay, true laurel, Grecian laurel
Family Name:
Lauraceae
Botanical Name:
Laurus nobilis
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Bay laurel is a dioecious evergreen shrub or tree with opposite lanceolate shaped dark green leaves that are typically around three to four inches long. This plant can reach heights of 60 feet in its native region. The bay laurel has been confused with another medicinal plant also called sweet bay, Magnolia virginiana L., leading to some confusion as to the medicinal properties (2). Some herbalists in the past have used the two bays interchangeably (2). When it is mature enough it can produce small, single-seeded black to purple berries (3).
Compound:
Lau nob
Geographic Origin:
Greece
Ecozone Origin:
Palearctic
Biome Origin:
EU
Natural History:
Bay laurel is native to the Mediterranean south, where it grows in rocky, well-drained soil (3).
Cultivation Notes:
Bay laurel grows well in moist, well-drained soil in partial shade. It can be propagated by seed or cuttings. The leaves can be picked for culinary use at any time of year (1, 3, 5). Prune in winter while dormant, and fertilize before active growth resumes in spring (5). Full sun or partial shade paired with moderate amounts of watering are ideal for proper growth. The Laurus nobilis is hardy at around 20℉ and adapts easily to contained or formal gardens as a clipped plant. One of the biggest problems that this species can face is scale infestation, but that is easily combated by hosing off the plant frequently.
Ethnobotany:
Bay laurel is commonly cultivated for use as a culinary herb (leaves and berries), but has also been used as medicine (1, 2, 4), especially in ancient Greece and Rome. It was also used in ancient Rome to make garlands for the December festival to honor the god Saturn, Saturnalia (1), and to make crowns for the winners of sporting events (4). In ancient Roman folklore a suddenly withered bay laurel signifies coming disaster, and in ancient Greece the Oracle of Delphi used the bay laurel in her prophecies (1). The Greek gods of healing and medicine, Apollo and Aesclepius, held the bay laurel sacred (1). Dioscorides, a Greek physician and botanist in the first century A.D., recommended bay laurel bark for fortifying the liver and dissolving kidney stones (1). Ancient Greeks and Romans used an infusion of the leaves to warm and tonify the stomach and bladder, and made a paste from the leaves to relieve the pain of bee stings (1).
Bay laurels have been used to treat uterine problems, rheumatism, and for nerves (2). Bay laurel has been used to treat disorders of the upper digestive tract, the pain of arthritis, to tonify and settle the stomach, to stimulate appetite, digestion, and the absorption of food, to help break down a heavy meal, and to promote the onset of menstruation (1). It is also used to relieve aching muscles as a decoction in a bath, as an essential oil in massage oil (1), and for skin ailments (2). In the seventeenth and eighteenth century, bay leaves were featured as an ingredient in a popular salve called “soldier’s ointment,” used for aches and pains (2). The essential oil should not be ingested.
Bay laurel is used to infuse vermouths, liqueurs, including amaros, and gins (4). The liqueurs Beerenburg (Dutch) and Bernard Loiseau Liqueur de Poires Laurier (French) include bay leaves as a flavoring ingredient (4).
Height:
20 - 50 feet
Width:
16 - 20 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Summer
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
Yellow
Function:
Patio
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Hardy
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
Citations:
1. Chevallier, A. (1996). Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited. Print.
2. Crellin, J. K., and Philpott, J. (1997). A Reference Guide to Medicinal Plants: Herbal Medicine Past and Present. Duke University Press. Print.
3. Bay Laurel in Organic Gardening
4. Stewart, A. (2013). The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World’s Great Drinks. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Print.
5. Sweet Bay: Laurus nobilis in Monrovia
Duffield, Mary Rose., and Warren D. Jones. Plants For Dry Climates - How To Select, Grow And Enjoy. Lane Publishing Company, 1992.
