HEIGHT up to 100 ft (30 m)TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE US (California, Oregon)
Often multi-stemmed, the California laurel has a broadly spreading habit and is found in forests and scrub in canyons and valleys. It is valuable for its pale brown timber. It has an attractive finish and is used as a veneer in furniture, paneling, and cabinetwork. BARK Graybrown, thin, smooth, becoming reddish brown, scaly with age. LEAF Alternate, dark green, leathery, glossy above, peppery aroma when crushed. FLOWER Yellow-green, 6–10 on each flowering stem, in leaf axils. FRUIT Drupe, green at first, ripening to bluish black, up to 3⁄4 in (2 cm) wide, on yellow stalk.
