Swamp bay leaf

http://mgonline.com/articles/sweetbay.aspx

 Swamp bay leaf Magnolia virginiana

The swamp bay leaf belongs to the Magnoliaceae family. 

The swamp bay leaf is a tree which can reach twenty feet tall. The leaves have a spicy fragrance which are green on the top and paler on the underside and are six inches long.The shape of the leaves are rectangular. In the south they are evergreen and in the north they are semi evergreen. The trees can either be multi stemmed or single stemmed. 

The flowers are white and have twelve petals per head. They bloom in May through to June. The fruit is a deep red which are replaced by red cone-like fruit. In August is when the fruit is ready to eat. On younger trees the bark is green and smooth compared the silvery bark on mature trees.

The bay leaf is able in grow in the swamps with soils which are acidic and with little sunlight.

The Native Americans and the Europeans used the leaves and fruit for medicinal and cooking, bark was used to furniture manufacture. 

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, (2015). sweetbay magnolia. [online] Available at: http://bernheim.org/explore/arboretum/bernheim-select/sweetbay-magnolia/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2015].

Wildflower.org, (2015). Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. [online] Available at: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAVI2 [Accessed 14 Apr. 2015].