UMBELLULARIA CALIFORNICA

FAMILY :: LAURACEAE
CALIFORNIA BAY, PEPPERWOOD: This is the major source of “bay leaf” seasoning sold in the USA. A large evergreen tree, it grows in canyons and damp, acid-soil forests. The local Pomo tribes in California ate the seeds (½” nuts) and used the leaves for curing headaches and for stomach aches, repelling fleas, easing rheumatism, and when burned on coals as incense, as a general disinfectant and cure-all.

This tree can take temperatures down to at least 10° f. It is more hardy than sweet bay, Laurus nobilis. Grows well, though slowly, in a pot.