Umbellularia

(Nees) Nuttall

N. Amer. Sylv. 1: 87. 1842.

Common names: Californian bay
Etymology: Latin umbellula, partial umbel
Basionym: Oreodaphne subg. Umbellularia Nees Syst. Laur., 464. 1836
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

Shrubs or trees, evergreen. Bark dark brown, thin. Leaves alternate, with pungent odor when crushed. Leaf blade pinnately veined, leathery; surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent, gland-dotted; domatia absent. Inflorescences appearing when mature leaves are present, axillary, pseudoumbels, stalked, young pseudoumbel enclosed by spirally arranged bracts. Flowers bisexual; tepals deciduous, yellowish, equal, glabrous; stamens 9, anthers 4-locular, 4-valved, outer anthers introrse, inner anthers extrorse; staminodes 3, small, stipitate; ovary superior, ovoid. Drupe greenish, dark purple when dried, spheric-ovoid, seated in flat, small, single-rimmed cupule.

Distribution

w North America.

Discussion

Species 1

Selected References

None.