Laurel (Laurus nobilis)
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IDENTIFICATION
It is a tree or a bush of a small size (up to 15 m high), with evergreen and quite aromatic leaves. It has a straight trunk with a smooth bark. The branches are green, hairless and shiny at a young age, but they turn grey to darker with age. The leaves are simple with an alternating arrangement. They have a toughened consistence, with an intense green colour, shiny, matt on the underside and with a reddish petiole. They have an elongated shape, with a wavy edge and a sharp apex. The main nerve structure is branched, being the main nerve very showy on the beam and prominent on the underside. The flowers are of a fair yellowish colour and appear like umbels on the leaves armpits. The females have about 3 or 4 aborted yarns. The fruit is a bay (fleshy fruit with several pits, like a blueberry), of an oval or rounded shape and black when ripe.
WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
It can grow on whatever type of soil, but it prefers calcareous and dry soils, in shady areas, well-lit and between 100 and 800 meters above sea level. It appears in ravines, edges accompanying forests of holm oaks, chestnut trees, cork trees or gall oaks. It is a species commonly feral, which can develop suddenly but always comes from a former cultivated specimen, hence the difficulty to find natural populations.
HOW DOES IT LIVE?
It is a monoecious species with uni-sexual flowers (male ones appear in a tree and female ones in another). They are grouped in inflorescences called umbels on the leaves armpits. The pollination is made by insects, attracted by the smell released by the flowers. It flowers between February and April. It fruits at the beginning of summer and the fruits dispersion is aided by birds. It forms wood known as the laurel forest, old growth and typical from very wet areas.
WHERE CAN WE SEE IT IN THE MALAGA PROVINCE?
It is a very localized species in the Malaga province, as its environmental requirements are very strict. It appears in the Genal Valley and in the Cortes mountains. In the Great Path (Gran Senda), we can find it on stages 25 to 28.
CURIOUS FACTS
The dry or fresh leaves of this species are used as a condiment to scent dishes, rice, legumes, etc. Its essential oils provide a special taste to the food. However, it is a toxic plant, if it is overused, it can cause severe digestive disorders. The natural laurel buds contain a cyanide precursor. The laurel crown was used to reward poets, athletes and warriors in Ancient Greece and Rome. Hence the adjective "laureate". During the Olympic Games of old times, the laurel was also used to crown the winners. In 2004, during the Athens games, the tradition was recovered and the awards ceremony included the laurel crowning.
SIMILAR SPECIES
It can be confused with young hollies or rhododendrons, but if we will avoid confusion just crushing its leaves or flowers thanks to the smell they release.