Persea palustris

NAMING

Scientific Name: Persea palustris
Family: Lauraceae
Common: swampbay

HABITAT

Native
Habitat: Wetlands
Range: Virginia south throughout peninsula Florida and west to Texas

TREE TRUNK

Size: 40ft tall
Bark: Evergreen
Twigs: thick and green

LEAVES

Composition: simple
Arrangement: alternate
Shape: ovate, elliptic
Venation: pinnate

***The topside of the leaf is dark green and shiny, while the bottom side is a silvery white color with an orange tinge from pubescence that occurs primarily along the mid vein. Persea borbonia does not have this.

REPRODUCTION

Flowers: inconspicuous
Fruit: oval, round, blue

USES

Wildlife: mammals eat the berries
Commercial: Horticulture

 

Persea borbonia

NAMING

Scientific Name: Persea borbonia
Family: Lauraceae
Common: redbay

HABITAT

Native
Habitat: Wet, Disturbed
Range: Throughout the southeast

TREE TRUNK

Size: 30 to 50 ft tall
Bark: Evergreen
Twigs: thick and green

LEAVES

Composition: simple
Arrangement: alternate
Shape: ovate, elliptic
Venation: pinnate
Thick and leathery

REPRODUCTION

Flowers: inconspicuous
Fruit: oval, round, blue

USES

Wildlife: mammals eat the berries
Commercial: Horticulture

TOLERANCES

Shade/Sun: Mod
Salt – Intolerant
Drought – Moderate
Flood – Moderate

Cinnamomum camphora

NAMING

Scientific Name: Cinnamomum camphora
Family: Lauraceae
Common: camphor tree

HABITAT

Category 1 invasive
Native to East Asia
Habitat: Wide range of sites — scrub to flood plains
Range: California -> Florida (southeast)

TREE TRUNK

Size: 65 ft tall tree
Bark: -tan, furrowed

LEAVES

Simple
Alternate
Ovate to elliptic
Entire margins
wavy edges
Yellow over edge
Upper surface is dark green
Lower is light green (glaucous appearance)

Twigs: new growth is all green

Difference from Persea: Lower veins coming together (midrib and bottom 2), you can feel it.  It smells

REPRODUCTION

Flowers: indistinct
Fruit: drupe, black (persistent cup after fruits drop)

USES

Wildlife – cats and spreads

Commercial – oils make it bad for firewood, camphor oil production 1885

TOLERANCES

Fire – Low
Flood – Low
Shade – Intermediate
Salt – Moderate
Drought – High

Sassafras albidum

image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Sassafras9810.JPG

image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Sassafras_albidum_seed.JPG

image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Sassafras_albidum_Trunk_Bark_3264px.jpg

image source: http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/prof/Recipes/File-Sassafras/typeleaves300.gif

NAMING

Scientific Name: Sassafras albidum
Family: Lauraceae
Common: sassafras

HABITAT

Native
Habitat: Woodland sites
Range: Eastern North America

TREE TRUNK

Size: Up to 90ft tall
Bark: piney reddish brown with gray sheen
Twigs: medium, green

LEAVES

Leaf arrangement: alternate
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: entire, lobed
Leaf shape: polymorphic
Leaf blade length: 2 to 8 inches long
Leaf venation: pinnate, impressed
Leaf color: green
Leaf persistence: deciduous

REPRODUCTION

Flowers: yellow
Fruit: bluish drupe

USES

None

TOLERANCES

Shade – Yes
Salt – No
Drought – High
Flood – No