Laurus azorica

Laurus azorica
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Laurus
Species:	L. azorica
Binomial name
Laurus azorica (Seub.) Franco

Laurus azorica (also called Azores Laurel) is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family, related to laurus nobilis. It is a member of the genus Laurus and is commonly known as Azores Laurel. Laurus is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes three species, whose diagnostic key characters often overlap (Mabberley 1997).It is a small aromatic tree.

It is native to the laurisilva forests of the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands in Macaronesia, and in Morocco. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The azores laurel is a vigorous, conical tree that can vary greatly in size and height, sometimes reaching 10–18 metres (33–59 ft) tall. This species is very similar to Laurus novocanariensis. On grounds of a recent taxonomic change Laurus azorica is now restricted to the archipelago of the Azores, whereas former populations of this species from the western Canary islands including Gran Canaria as well as from the Madeira archipelago have been described as a new species, namely Laurus novocanariensis.

The laurel is dioecious (unisexual), with male and female flowers on separate plants. Each flower is fragrant creamy white flower, about 1 cm diameter, and they are born in pairs beside a leaf.

The leaves are large, shiny dark green, broadly ovoid leaves, 7–14 cm long and 4-8 cm broad, with a whole margin. The fruit is a black berry about 1-2  cm long. A recent study found that native stands classified as L. nobilis in northern Spain shared greater genetic and morphological similarity to L. azorica than to populations of L. nobilis native to rest of Spain, France and Italy [Arroyo-Garcia et al. 2001]. This populations like the Cortegada Island population, in Galicia, famous for its large grove of laurels, come from seeds dispersed by birds but is not indigenous to the island, as this islander forest originated spontaneously from laurel specimens that were planted after the original vegetation was destroyed.

Source

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Laurus azorica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 22 August 2007.