Umbellularia

Appearance

It is an evergreen tree growing to 30 m tall with a trunk up to 80 cm thick. The largest recorded tree is in
Mendocino County, California, and measured 108 feet in height and 119 feet in spread.



The fragrant leaves are smooth-edged and lance-shaped, 3–10 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, similar to the related bay laurel, though usually narrower, and without the crinkled margin of that species.

The flowers are small, yellow or yellowish-green, produced in small umbels . Unlike other "bay laurels" of the genus ''Laurus'', ''Umbellularia'' has perfect flowers .

The fruit, also known as "California bay nut", is a round and green berry 2–2.5 cm long and 2 cm broad, lightly spotted with yellow, maturing purple. Under the thin, leathery skin, it consists of an oily, fleshy covering over a single hard, thin-shelled pit, and resembles a miniature avocado. ''Umbellularia'' is in fact closely related to the avocado's genus ''Persea'', within the family Lauraceae. The fruit ripens around October–November in the native range.

Naming

The tree was formerly known as ''Oreodaphne californica''. In Yuki, it is called pōl’-cum ōl. 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.

Distribution

In the north, it reaches its distributional limit through southwest Oregon to Newport, Lincoln County, Oregon, on the coast, extending from there south through California to San Diego County. It is also found in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It occurs at altitudes from sea level up to 1600 m. An isolated, more northern occurrence of the species can be found in Tacoma, Washington, around Snake Lake near the Tacoma Nature Center. There are also two recorded instances of trees growing in coastal British Columbia.

Habitat

This tree mostly inhabits redwood forests, California mixed woods, yellow pine forest, and oak woodlands. Bays occur in oak woodlands only close to the coast, or in extreme northern California where moisture is sufficient.

During the Miocene, oak-laurel forests were found in Central and Southern California. Typical tree species included oaks ancestral to present-day California oaks, and an assemblage of trees from the laurel family, including ''Nectandra, Ocotea, Persea,'' and ''Umbellularia''. Only one native species from the laurel family, ''Umbellularia californica'', remains in California today.

Uses

The tree's pungent leaves have a similar flavor to bay leaves, though stronger, and it may be mistaken for bay laurel. The dry wood has a color range from blonde to brown . It is considered an excellent tonewood and is sought after by luthiers and woodworkers.