Botanical Name: Umbellularia californica
Common Name: California Bay
Type of Plant: dicot: tree
Character evergreen
 
Habit of Growth:
Overall Shape erect, mostly single-trunked, forming a dense pyramidal shrubby canopy when young; plant becomes more open and rounded with age
Height 15-30' (60')
Spread 1/2 to equal
Growth Rate moderate
 
Environment:
Exposure outdoors any exposure; best in partial sun at inland areas
Soil tolerates most; prefers a well-draining loam
Hardiness hardy (zones 4-10, 14-24); thrives in humid coastal locale
 
Morphology:
Leaves pinnate, alternate, lanceolate-elliptic; 2-6" long, strongly aromatic if crushed; deep green, leathery
Flowers yellowish green, tiny 1/4", in mostly terminal panicles; spring-early summer
Fruit a drupe; 1" long, olive-sized, green; black when ripe
 
Propagation:
seed
 
Usage:
widely-used accent tree for its overall shape; shade tree, lawn tree; makes a good background screen or mass-planting for large-scale landscape
 
Landscape Care:
Watering prefers regular; becomes fairly drought-tolerant after established
Fertilizing little required; balanced fertilizer plus iron in clay
Pruning as a tree, head high when young to develop a canopy
Pests/Diseases aphids, sooty mold (in heavy shade)
Special Conditions/Other
 
Origin: California/Oregon
Family: Lauraceae

Notes:
 
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