Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

Leaves are simple, alternate, evergreen, elliptical to obovate, dark green, very aromatic (with a bay leaf smell), somewhat red hairy below, and often with misshapen bumps from a wasp.  Young twigs are brown with red hair and buds are naked and pubescent.  Bark is maroon-brown, ridged and scaly. Fruit is a blue drupe.  Redbay is found primarily on dry sites in the southeastern Coastal Plain, whereas swampbay (Persea palustris) is found in swamps and bays.  The hard, red wood is used for furniture and novelty items.  The leaves are used as a substitute for bay leaves in cooking.  Birds and small mammals eat the fruit.

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All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.  All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan or Todd Langston.