Laurels
| Laurels | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Illustration of the common laurel ( Laurus nobilis ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Laurus | ||||||||||||
| L. |
The laurels ( Laurus ) form a genus of plants from the laurel family (Lauraceae).
description
All species are evergreen shrubs or small trees that reach heights of 12 to 20 meters. The leaves are undivided and have entire margins. They are only partially hardy. In the past, many other species were placed in the genus Laurus , which are currently assigned to other genera .
Systematics and distribution
The genus Laurus L. consists of three species :
- Real bay laurel ( Laurus nobilis L. ) from the Mediterranean region
- Azores laurel ( Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco ), native to the Azores , Madeira, and the Canary Islands
- Laurus novocanariensis Rivas Mart., Lousã, Fern.Prieto, E..Días, JCCosta & C.Aguiar (Syn .: Laurus canariensis Webb & Berthel. Non Willd. )
Other plant species with the name part "laurel"
Numerous plants have the term laurel as part of their name, mostly because their leaves are similar in shape. While the Californian laurel ( Umbellularia californica ) is still relatively closely related because it belongs to the laurel family (Lauraceae), the Indonesian bay leaf ( Eugenia polyantha ) and the West Indian laurel ( Pimenta racemosa ) belong to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and the laurel fig ( Ficus microcarpa ) belongs to the mulberry family (Moraceae). The laurel cherry ( Prunus laurocerasus ), often called cherry laurel is called, is not closely related to the laurels, but belongs to the family of the rose family (Rosaceae).
literature
- Gordon Cheers (Ed.): Botanica. The ABC of plants. 10,000 species in text and images . Könemann, Königswinter 2003, ISBN 3-8331-1600-5 .
