Laurelia

For the community, see Laurelia, Texas.

Laurelia
Laurelia sempervirens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Atherospermataceae
Genus:	Laurelia

Laurelia is a genus of flowering plants included in the order Laurales, in the family Atherospermataceae. They are Evergreen fragrant laurifolia trees formerly in the Monimiaceae family.

Overview

Chilean laurel.

The patterns of speciation in the Laurelia indicate that since the onset of aridification on the continents 15 million years ago, rainforest diversified in species numbers with the contemporary species the product of vicariance. One of the products of aridification is the current island like archipelagos of rainforests along the planet. The fragmentation of once more continuous rainforest facilitated isolation of populations and this likely caused the increase in the rate of speciation as found in Laurelia. The species show a very disjunct distribution with sister taxa occurring in other centres of rainforest and cloud forest diversity, indicating that this group is most likely of Gondwanan origin.

The laurel forest is a type of cloud forest, the cloud forests, are developed preferably about mountains, where the dense moisture from the sea or ocean, is precipitated by the action of the relief. Opposing the terrain to a front of warm, moist air mass, it forces to increase the height above sea level of that body wet and warm air mass, which cools and decreases the dew point, causing it to condense part of the moisture that falls as rain or fog, creating an habitat especially cool, saturated with moisture in the air and soil.

Laurelia is the southern hemisphere genus of plant equivalent to this of Lauraceae, although not closely related to Lauraceae family despite the similarity. The ecological requirements of the species, are those of the laurel forest and like most of their counterparts laurifolia in the world, is a vigorous species with a great ability to populate the habitat that is conducive. They are leafy canopy trees with erect or spreading branches. They are growing to heights of up to 15 metres and have a stout trunk up to 1 metre in diameter. The thick, leathery leaves are dark green above and paler beneath. The leaves are glossy. In winter and spring (August to November) it produces stout, erect panicles of tiny flowers. The most remarkable divergence in Laurelia is the fruit, dry capsules called achenes which contain numerous seeds attached to fine feathery anemophilous filaments which aid to disperse the seeds by wind. This remarkable mode of reproduction, the dispersion by the wind is called anemochory. Mostly the dispersion dispersion system used by the laurales are the birds that eat the little fruit. The feathery achenes of laurelia must keep moist when sown. Often, only a few seeds are viable.

Laurelia is a genus of plant in the family Atherospermataceae, while Lauraceae is a family whose most representative genus is laurus. Laurelia contains only two species, both endemic to the southern hemisphere, an example of Gondwanan distribution. The genus Laurelia is closely related and easily confused to Laureliopsis with a Chilean species Laureliopsis philippiana, associated mainly with the temperate rainforests of further south. Species of the laurelia genus are adapted to laurel forests habitat which occur in humid subtropical and mild temperate regions of the northern and southern hemispheres. There are Laurelia species in central Chile and New Zealand due to ancient continental divergences. Pukatea (Laurelia novae-zelandiae) is generally found in lowland forest and grows throughout the North Island of New Zealand, and the northern third of the South Island. Requires plenty of moisture, many times in damp areas or on the edges of streams. It often grows in damp low-land forests, especially gullies. Rainy, moisty, damp places and swamps... the typical laurel forest habitat. The species is a laurifolia related with laurel forest species of Australia, New Caledonia and Valdivian laurel forest of Sudamerica, through the connection of the Antarctic flora. The Laurelia genus, contains only two species, both endemic to the southern hemisphere, an example of Gondwanan distribution. Other one is Laurelia sempervirens native to Chile. The species are very similar between Bay Laurel, Pukatea, Laureliopsis philippiana, Laurelia sempervirens and others lauroides.

Laurel forests occur in small areas where their particular climatic requirements prevail, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Inner laurel forest ecoregions, a related and distinct community of vascular plants evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana, and species of this community are now found on several separate areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including southern South America, southernmost Africa, New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia. These lauroides plant communities are twofold to tropical climate and temperate climate, having the more temperate climate their origin in the named Antarctic flora.

Some genus originated in Antarctic Flora are still a recognized major component of New Caledonia, Tasmania, Madagascar, India, New Zealand, and southern South America. It most resembled the flora of modern-day southern New Zealand. A drier northern Gondwanan flora had developed in northern South America and northern Africa. The Antarctic flora, also known as the Rainforest flora in Australia, retreated to a few isolated areas composing less than 2% of Australia's land area.

Species

The genus is closely related to Laureliopsis whose Chilean species Laureliopsis philippiana is easily confused.

• Laurelia novae-zelandiae (native to New Zealand)
• Laurelia sempervirens (native to Chile)