Lauraceae

Also known as laurel family

AI overview

Lauraceae is a family of plants that includes important spice and flavoring plants like cinnamon and bay leaf, as well as various trees and shrubs found in tropical and subtropical regions. These plants matter because they provide valuable culinary ingredients and other products that have been used for centuries in cooking and traditional practices around the world.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

Lauraceae

FAMILY

KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderLaurales
FamilyLauraceae

Habitatmarine

Observations recorded1,322,179

General: Notes on delimitation: The Lauraceae are a clearly Appearance: ) and flowers must be consulted to distinguish the two. The Lauraceae

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Research

5,251 papers

Alkaloids of the Lauraceae.ReviewThe Alkaloids. Chemistry and biology · 2019Silva Teles MMR, Vieira Pinheiro AA, Da Silva Dias C et al.DOI: 10.1016/bs.alkal.2018.11.002
The Genus Neolitsea of Lauraceae: A Phytochemical and Biological Progress.ReviewChemistry & biodiversity · 2015Cao Y, Gao XL, Su GZ et al.DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201400084
Chemical Structures of Lignans and Neolignans Isolated from Lauraceae.ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2018Li Y, Xie S, Ying J et al.DOI: 10.3390/molecules23123164
The Lauraceae family and riparin III: Antimicrobial prospects from plant-derived natural products.ReviewMicrobial pathogenesis · 2026Oliveira Júnior JB, de Lima FCG, Higino TMM et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2026.108283
Antimicrobial substances from Amazonian Aniba (Lauraceae) species.Natural product research · 2021da Silva YC, Silva EMS, Fernandes NS et al.DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2019.1603225
Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the genus Cinnamomum (Lauraceae): A review.ReviewFitoterapia · 2020Wang J, Su B, Jiang H et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2020.104675
An Updated Review on Essential Oils from Lauraceae Plants: Chemical Composition and Genetic Characteristics of Biosynthesis.ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Wu F, Chen Y, Gao M et al.DOI: 10.3390/ijms26125690
Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils in the Family Lauraceae: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Planta medica · 2019Damasceno CSB, Fabri Higaki NT, Dias JFG et al.DOI: 10.1055/a-0943-1908

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: 20050515-007-laurus-nobilis.jpg

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Lauraceae
taxon name: Lauraceae
GRIN URL: npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomyfamily.aspx?id=625
taxon common name: 樟科

Sources (3)

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~14 min read

Article

10 sections

Contents

Overview
Description
Distribution and uses
Ecology
Classification
Phytochemistry
Genera
Popular culture
References
Further reading

Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide. They are dicotyledons, and occur mainly in warm temperate and tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America. Many are aromatic evergreen trees or shrubs, but some, such as Sassafras, are deciduous, or include both deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, especially in tropical and temperate climates. The genus Cassytha is unique in the Lauraceae in that its members are parasitic vines. Many species within the laurel family are highly toxic; however, some, such as the avocado (Persea americana), are edible and widely consumed. Members of the laurel family have played a significant role in the spice trade, particularly genera like Cinnamomum, which produce aromatic oils used extensively in cooking, perfumery, and traditional medicine.