Plant Life: Laurel a contradictory character

We have all heard of the leaves of Laurus nobilis, more commonly known as the bay tree, being used in cooking. Surprisingly, they are the weak alternative to the Californian bay laurel, Umbellularia californica.

Umbellularia leaves have been used in the same way as bay leaves but are reported to be twice as strong.

Got a headache? Want a headache?
Umbellularia californica is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia but is closely related to the better-known avocado.

Unfortunately, the fruit is very small and not as palatable as an avocado, due to large quantities of volatile aromatic oils.

The flipside of these oils is they give bay leaves their characteristic smell.

The leaves and fruit are well known to Native Americans, who use them in a variety of medicines and foods.

The scent from the leaves can be used to cure headaches, but if these aromatic oils are inhaled for too long they can actually cause severe headaches in some people, a quality which gives the plant its other common name, the headache tree.

> Evergreen tree to 30m but can be coppiced at any time or hedged to keep small. Even large trees shoot from the base if cut down to 20cm tall.

> Native to Oregon, California and San Diego County.

> The wood is hard and very fine, and is used in the making of acoustic guitars.

Umbellularia californica can be seen in the North and South American borders in the Geographic Collection at Dunedin Botanic Garden.

• Dylan Norfield is the Geographic and Arboretum Collection Curator at Dunedin Botanic Garden.