Laurel

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laurel, common name for the Lauraceae, a family of forest trees and shrubs found mainly in tropical SE Asia but also abundant in tropical America. Most have aromatic bark and foliage and are evergreen; deciduous species are usually those that extend into temperate zones. The plants are important for aromatic oils and spices, edible fruits, and timber (e.g., from species of the largest genus, Ocotea). The true laurel—that of history and classical literature—is Laurus nobilis, called also bay and sweet bay. It is native to the Mediterranean, where to the ancients it symbolized victory and merit and was sacred to Apollo. The fragrant leaves are sold commercially as bay leaf, a seasoning. Many plants of the unrelated heath family are also called laurels in the United States because of their similarly dark and glossy but poisonous leaves; the cherry laurel is a species of the rose family. A native American laurel is the evergreen California laurel (Umbellularia californica), also called pepperwood, bay-tree, and Oregon myrtle. It grows in California and Oregon and provides wood, medicinal leaves, and fruits that were eaten by Native Americans. Lindera benzoin, commonly called spicebush, benzoin, or wild allspice, is another fragrant species found in America; its powdered berries have been used as a substitute for allspice. All other Lindera species are Asian. The red bay (Persea borbonia) of the southeast coastal plains has very strong, bright reddish-brown heartwood used in cabinetmaking and interior finishing. P. americana, the alligator pear, or avocado (from Sp. aguacate), has been cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala for millennia; it is now grown extensively in Florida and California and many parts of the moister tropics and subtropics for its nutritious oil-rich fruit and is used chiefly in salads. Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), a tree or shrub, was one of the first American plants to command the attention of European settlers, who exported it to the Old World as a high-priced panacea. Its aromatic bark is still occasionally used for medicinal tea, and its pulverized leaves for soup and condiments. Safrole, used in flavorings and medicinals, is obtained from oil of sassafras as well as from the camphor tree. The camphor tree, the cassia-bark tree, and the cinnamon tree all belong to the Asian genus Cinnamomum and are extensively cultivated for their aromatic bark (see cinnamon and camphor). Many of the evergreen laurels are grown as hedges and, because of their handsome foliage, are used by florists. The laurel family is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Laurales.

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Laurel

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Laurel. 1 Town (1990 pop. 19,438), Prince Georges co., central Md., about halfway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore; patented in the late 1600s, inc. 1870. Primarily residential, Laurel has light manufacturing. The Washington, D.C., Children's Center and Laurel Race Course (opened 1911) are there. In the area are the Patuxent Research Refuge, a large Fish and Wildlife Service research installation; and Fort George G. Meade (est. 1917).

2 City (1990 pop. 18,827), seat of Jones co., SE Miss., on Tallahala Creek; inc. 1892. Industries center around petroleum and lumber production and meat and poultry processing. Cotton and corn are raised and there is dairying. Manufactures include automotive parts, wood products, apparel, chemicals, furniture, machinery, and electrical equipment. The city was founded as the site of a sawmill in 1882. Oil was discovered in the vicinity in 1944. Southeastern Baptist College is in Laurel.

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Laurel

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Laurel may refer to:

Botany

Lauraceae, the botanical laurel family, including:

• Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), the original true laurel that is the source of bay leaves used as a seasoning
• California Laurel (Umbellularia californica), a related tree or large shrub
• Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora), a natural source of camphor
• True Cinnamon or Ceylon Cinnamon Cinnamomum verum, the inner bark of which is used as the spice cinnamon

Other unrelated plants:

• Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), an evergreen cherry, often called just laurel in gardens
• Great laurel (Rhododendron maximum), another shrub of the Appalachian mountains
• Indian laurel, certain species of fig trees or banyans
• New Zealand laurel (Corynocarpus laevigatus), former name for Karaka tree
• Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), an evergreen shrub of the eastern United States highlands
• Laurel sumac (Malosma laurina), an aromatic, evergreen shrub of the southern California and Baja California coastlands
• Portugal laurel (Prunus lusitanica), also an evergreen cherry
• Spotted laurel refers to variegated cultivars of the Aucuba Aucuba japonica

People

Given name

• A Laurel (LDS Church), a 16–18 year-old participant in the Young Women's program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Laurel Aitken (1927–2005), nicknamed the "Godfather of Ska"
• Laurel Clark (1961–2003), astronaut and doctor who flew on the last flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia
• Laurel Holloman, actorSurname
• José P. Laurel (1891–1959), former President of the Philippines
• Stan Laurel (1890–1965), half of the comic duo of Laurel and Hardy

Places

In the Philippines:

• Laurel, Batangas

In the United States:

• Laurel, Oakland, California
• Laurel, Delaware
• Laurel, Florida
• Laurel, Indiana
• Laurel, Iowa
• Laurel, Maryland
• Laurel, Mississippi
• Laurel, Montana
• Laurel, Nebraska
• Laurel, New York
• Laurel, Virginia
• Laurel County, Kentucky
• Laurelton, Queens, a neighborhood in New York City

Other

• Nissan Laurel, a mid-size luxury sedan
• Laurel (band), a Canadian rock band
• Laurel (English coin)
• Laurel Films, a Beijing independent film production company
• Laurel wreath

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