Centenary College Arboretum: Tree of the Week: Red Bay (Persea borbonia)

Friday, October 20, 2017

Tree of the Week: Red Bay (Persea borbonia)

The red bay (Persea borbonia) is a founding species for the arboretum; the arboretum has been home to multiple specimens since it began. Ed Leuck collected one individual from Bienville Parish and two from Kisatchie National Forest. Another tree was purchased from Woodlanders nursery (Aiken, S.C.). Well-suited to the local enviroment and having a prolific nature, volunteers abound every year from the four original trees. Most of these young trees are removed; some are allowed to stay; and yet others are collected and relocated.

The pictures below are of a single volunteer that was collected and cultivated for several years in the greenhouse. In the spring of 2003, it was finally transplanted back into the arboretum where it has become an established tree. Today you can find it in a large iris bed on the floodplain. Despite a noticeable crook in its trunk, the tree is doing well, so well that the irises are now struggling for light.

This red bay grows in the arboretum's floodplain. When we get a heavy rain, a lot of water passes through this area and it is slow to dry. Carpinus caroliniana is pictured in the background. A large on-site-native Pinus taeda is pictured behind and to the left of the C. caroliniana.

The swamp titi trees team up with the red bay to shade the wooden foot bridge that runs from the Fitness Center to the Student Union Building, providing much needed relief from the sun during the summer months.

This red bay leans westward, perhaps vying for more sun. Its competition includes Carpinus carolinana, Pinus taeda and Quercus alba. At a younger age, it was in competition with Cyrilla racemiflora.

The red bay is evergreen, which is bad news for the irises living under it.

Fruits of the red bay are ripening this time of year.

The dark blue drupes are numerous.

The top leaf surface is smooth and shiny. The leaves are narrow and have slightly wavy edges. A spicy aroma is released if you crush or crumple these leaves, making them a culinary substitute for the bay leaves you buy in the grocery store.

The drupe itself is black, concealed by the blue covering, which slips off if you squeeze it. The leaf is pale-green underneath and fuzzy to the touch.