Identifying
Features:
-Dark green, lance shaped leaves
-Strong peppery smell
-Grey, with creased scales
-Height: 40-80 feet
Not
A Laurel:
Madrone
(Arbutus menziesii)
-Peeling bark (light brown revealing dark red)
-No penetraing smell
Bluegum
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
-White peeling bark
-Light green/grey leaves
-Height up to 120 feet
Golden
Chinkapin (Chrysolepsis chrysophylla)
-Yellow underside to leaves
-No penetraing smell
Images
(All
of these images come from the CalFlora Website)
Flowers and lanceolate leaves.
Photographer: Smith
A pair of dropes, the fruit of the California Laurel.
Photographer: McClellon
Where are they found?
The California Laurel has a wide range. From Southern Oregon to San Diego and from the western slopes of the Sierra to the coast. It grows to tree size with enough water, often growing on alluvial plains and along riparian systems. In dryer areas it usually grows as a shrub.
If you find a group of California Laurels, also look for:
(All
the similar species listed above)
Big
Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrigolia)
California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)
Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis)
Digger Pine (Pinus sabiniana)
Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi)
Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia)
Redwood
(Sequoia sempervirens)
Succession Status
The California Laurel is well adapted to many succession stages. It is adapted to shade or sun and therefore thrives either as a dominant species and as part of an understory. In mixed evergreen forests it is eventually replaced by conifers, but can dominate the understory. In hardwood forests it grows in all seres dominating with other hardwood species. In riparian communities, it co-dominates with Bigleaf Maple, Boxelder, and California Buckeye.
Ecological Use
Young shoots and twigs are browsed by black tail and mule deer. The leaves and twigs are high in protein, providing a nutrional source throughout the year.
The tree provides protection and thermal cover for dear, pigs, black bears, and many small animals.
California Laurel (Umbellularia californica)
