Bay Laurel

Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) flower buds and leaves
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Laurus
Species: L. nobilis
Binomial name
Laurus nobilis
L.

The Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae), also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Laurel Tree, Grecian Laurel, Laurel, or Bay Tree, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 10–18 metres (33–59 ft) tall, native to the Mediterranean region.

Contents

Growth

The leaves are 6–12 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, with a characteristic finely serrated and wrinkled margin. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants; each flower is pale yellow-green, about 1 cm diameter, borne in pairs together beside a leaf. The fruit is a small black berry about 1 cm long, containing a single seed.

Uses and symbolism

Bay Laurel is the source of the bay leaves, which are used for their flavour in cooking. It was also the source of the laurel wreath of ancient Greece, and therefore the expression of "resting on one's laurels". A wreath of bay laurels was given as the prize at the Pythian Games because the games were in honor of Apollo, and the laurel was one of his symbols ever since his unsuccessful pursuit of Daphne. In the Bible, the sweet-bay is often an emblem of prosperity and fame. In Christianity, it symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ and the triumph of Humanity thereby. It is also the source of the word baccalaureate (laurel berry), and of poet laureate.

In Chinese folklore, there is a great laurel tree on the moon, and the Chinese name for the laurel, (traditional Chinese: 月桂), literally translates to "moon-laurel". This is the subject of a story of Wu Gang, a man who aspired to immortality and neglected his work. When the deities discovered this, they sentenced Wu Gang to fell the laurel tree, whereupon he could join the ranks of the deities; however, since the laurel regenerated immediately when cut, it could never be felled. The phrase (simplified Chinese: 吴刚伐木) ("Wu Gang chops the tree") is sometimes used to refer to endless toil, analogous to the legend of Sisyphus in Greek mythology.

The aromatic laurel leaves are used in many countries of central and southern Europe to flavour stews, soups, meat dishes, and even fish. They are used to season canned cucumbers or herring, or added to give aroma to vinegar.

It is also widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in regions with mediterranean or oceanic climates, and as an indoor plant in colder regions.

Bay leaves are eaten by the caterpillars of some lepidopterans, for example the Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus).

Chemical constituents

In the fruit, there are essential oils and fatty oils present. The fruit is pressed and water extracted to obtain these products. The fruit contains up to 30% fatty oils and about 1% essential oils (terpenes, sesquiterpenes, alcohols, and ketones).

The leaves contain about 1.3% essential oils (Ol. Lauri folii), consisting of 45% eucalyptol, 12% terpenes, 3-4% sesquiterpenes, 3% methyleugenol, and other α- und β-pinenes, phellandrene, linalool, geraniol, and terpineol.

Gallery

thumb|A Laureltree senn on the islan of Terceira

Flowers and leaves
Bay leaf442.jpg

Flower buds

Bay Laurel grown in a kitchen for bay leaves

19th century illustration

Scale insect under a bay leaf

A Laurus nobilis bush.

A close-up of several Laurus nobilis leaves.

Miscellaneous Information

Externals

Examples of biological activity

Examples of biological activity of Bay laurel:

External links