skip to main content

How do you tell a Bay laurel from a tree laurel?

9 months ago

My DH picked several leaves from the tree laurel in our yard and wanted to use them instead of McCormick ones in a jar. Which have dried up and have no smell. I looked it up and they could be poisonous. They have a much stronger smell and I can not get it out of my nose. Everything smells like Vicks vapor rub. I said no to the picked laurel leaves. They would over power whatever you used them in. I want to use them in sauerbraten marinade.

Featured Answer

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10

8 months ago

last modified: 8 months ago

I had a bay laurel tree and loved the scent and flavor the fresh leaves imparted - much tastier than the dried ones from the store. There are many plants in that family (Lauraceae), and they're not all equal for sure.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Sherry8aNorthAL
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
NO! to the picked ones. Buy a new jar of leaves. I like Spice Island brand, dry, but bright green.
caflowerluver thanked Sherry8aNorthAL
chloebud
9 months ago
We have a California Bay Laurel tree. The leaves are safe but much too potent for my taste. However, I don’t notice that when picked off the tree. I buy bay leaves at Trader Joe’s or Sprout’s.
caflowerluver thanked chloebud
Related Discussions
Pruning a Bay Laurel plant - getting TALL
Q
Comments (9)
Dave - I use bay leaves all the time. I tend not to cook by recipe and I just put in whatever I think of at the time. In the winter I put bay leaves in any casserole or stew. It's kind of automatic like always starting with garlic and onions. Also in pasta sauces - meat, tomato matriciana - everything practically. They go well with sweet dishes too - anything with egg or milk such as custards and rice pudding. Also with stewed fruit or in an apple pie. I stick them inside chicken, duck etc when roasting and in the stock pot when I boil up bones. Suffused in the milk for bread sauce. Likewise for white sauces like bechamel or cheese sauce. Place a couple on chops under the grill (broiler??)Chuck branches on the barbecue. There's no end to their uses. I think my family's taste buds are so shot to pieces by my cavalier attitude to recipes we can barely taste any thing which doesn't have at least 6 cloves of garlic and 4 or 5 bayleaves in it. Often with a branch of rosemary in there too. As for winter hardiness - bay in the ground can survive temps below freezing for a while - it gets them where I live. In a pot it might need a bit more protection. (I'm like Daisy - I can't work out what 15 degrees might feel like.) Last winter my potted bay took minus 5 C a few times with a bit of leaf browning but the ones in the ground didn't bat an eyelid. I would suggets leaving it outside but keeping an eye on the forecast and putting it under cover if a big freeze is coming.
...See More
Grainlady: can there be pantry pests in live bay laurel wreath?
Q
Comments (2)
Thank you Jannie. I've just done exactly what you recommended, and Williams-Sonoma issued a credit, no problem, and they said just throw it out which will be done as soon as I finish this entry. I guess it's back to faux wreaths in the house -- and after I'd gotten sort of snooty about not having silk greenery, LOL! I expected a lot more from WS, always thought they were top of the line in everything. Also learned in my phone call by coincidence that they own Pottery Barn. Didn't know that. Well, closing another chapter in my many kitchen incidents. Thank you again.
...See More
Bay (laurel) Tree
Q
Comments (4)
Yes, look, ants are not always evident with scale, and from your picture I'm not sure it is scale. It could be borers but that should be evident by small holes 'bored' into the trunk and branches. If you find those probe them with a piece of wire and see what you can extract. You can also inject methylated spirits into the holes which'll kill the bug in there. Having said that, I have a healthy, or what was a healthy, tababuia tree that is currently struggling to put on top growth although the lower braches have healthy leaves. I put it down to the long dry period just (hopefully) passed. By the way, Tababuia is not a tree familiar to the Sydney region. Good luck with it, hopefully what you've done will encourage it to recover.
...See More
Do The Deer Eat Your Bay Laurel?
Q
Comments (7)
Bay laurel = Laurus nobilis? No, because mine is on my deck and the deer don't go there. But if it were planted out in the yard, they'd probably eat a lot of other things before bay laurel - euonymus, daylily buds, and hostas would be their preferred diet in my yard! I think Laurus nobilis is listed my many sites as being 'deer-resistant'. Do a check. But every region is different and deer have different tastes! Depends on how hungry and desperate they are.
...See More
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
Can you post a picture to aid identification? Not sure what a 'tree laurel' is. Bay (Laurus nobilis) grows on a tree too.
caflowerluver thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
Islay Corbel
9 months ago
Here, we get laurel hedges that are not edible and trees that are. The leaves aren't the same shape or smell. Perhaps US trees aren't the same.
caflowerluver thanked Islay Corbel
caflowerluver
Original Author
9 months ago
I picked up some frèsh bay from the store to use. I don't trust herbs unless I planted it myself.
lizbeth-gardener
9 months ago
There are two types of bay leaf in the spice section of my grocery stores. The one labeled California is much different-a vivid green, perfectely shaped with a menthol smell vs the other which is a faded, more sage colored green, not so perfectly formed and no menthol smell. The latter is the one I use, but am curious as to what the California one is used for.
caflowerluver thanked lizbeth-gardener
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
This a good example of common names causing confusion. The 'Bay' leaves in the spice section could be Laurus nobilis or Cinnamomum tamala, aka Indian Bay. The latter has parallel leaf veins while the firmer has a central vein with branches off it. They might also, though less commonly, be California Bay ie Umbellularia California. The leaves are similar to the Laurus but usually narrower. The flowers and fruit are different. The leaves are more pungent than Laurus and should be used sparingly in cooking. None of these species is the same as the various shrubs and trees commonly called Laurel which is a common name usually applied to some species of Prunus. Islay's Laurel hedges in France would be Prunus Laurocerasus., known as Cherry Laurel in the US. Without pictures it's not possible to tell what the OP's 'tree laurel' might be.
caflowerluver thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
lizbeth-gardener
8 months ago
I just did a search online and found that the California bay leaf (Umbellularia californica) and the Turkish bay (Laurus nobilis) are used for the same things, but the California is much more potent and has camphor/menthol notes which I don't care for. It appears to be the tree laurel that OP is referring to.
caflowerluver thanked lizbeth-gardener

Related Stories

ECLECTIC HOMES Houzz Tour: Good Vibes for a Hollywood Couple in Laurel Canyon

By Becky Harris

Actor Ian Harding and artist Sophia Hart’s personalities shine in a house nestled in the trees

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Texas Mountain Laurel

By Annie Thornton

An unusual scent and lush violet-blue blooms make this heat-loving plant a singular choice for your landscape

ECLECTIC HOMES My Houzz: Perfectly Imperfect Boho Style in Laurel Canyon

By STRUKTR Studios Photography

Fine art, architecture and flea market finds mix in a creative family’s treehouse-like Los Angeles home

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: A Reclaimed Wood House Rises From the Trees

By Sarah Natsumi Moore

Scorched siding, thoughtfully repurposed furnishings and a connection to both family and nature shine in this designer's new build

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Tree: The Dove Tree

By Annie Thornton

With distinctive fluttery flowers and a height that towers over the landscape, the dove tree provides a respite from the summer sun

PETS Protecting Your Pet From Your Yard and Your Yard From Your Pet

By Gwendolyn Purdom

Check out these tricks from vets and landscape designers for keeping your pets and plantings safe in the backyard

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Tree: Australian Tea Tree

By Annie Thornton

A living sculpture with an unmistakable appearance, this coastal native creates an intriguing landscape scene

ROOM OF THE DAY Room of the Day: Colorful Midcentury Style by the Bay

By Annie Thornton

For her San Francisco living room, a designer pulls together vintage pieces from near and far

HOUZZ CALL Show Us Your Christmas Tree!

Are you proud of your holiday handiwork? Share a well-lighted picture of your decorated tree and tell us about it

HOLIDAYS Houzz Call: Show Us Your Christmas Tree!

By Annie Thornton

We’d love to see how you make your tree your own. Please show us your best photo and tell us about your traditions

Sponsored

More Discussions

Favorite fruits and recipes… berries included

9

Apple Recipes for Fall

20

Outdoor kitchen

10

Substitute for cream of **** in CP recipes. Also best CP recipes

11

Novel combos which work

16