Solved; Red Bay

[Tom]

Gotta have a tree

               

Handsome, aromatic, evergreen tree, with dense crown.
Height: 60' (18 m).
Diameter: 2' (0.6 m).
Leaves: evergreen; 3-6" (7.5-15 cm) long, 3/4-1 1/2" (2-4 cm) wide. Elliptical or lance-shaped; short-stalked; thick and leathery, with edges slightly rolled under. Shiny green above, pale with whitish or rust-colored hairs beneath.
Bark: dark or reddish-brown; furrowed into broad scaly ridges.
Flowers: 3/16" (5 mm) long; light yellow; several in long-stalked cluster at leaf base; in spring.
Fruit: 1/2-5/8" (12-15 mm) long; nearly round; shiny dark blue-black; with 6-lobed cup at base, thin pulp, and rounded seed; maturing in autumn.
The wood, which takes a beautiful polish, is used for fine cabinetwork and also for lumber.

               

[swampwhiteoak]

This some kinda "Deep South only" tree, Tom?  

[Tom]

I'm quoting from one source so that I don't confuse anything.  Here is what it says:

Range S. Delaware south to S. Florida and west to S. Texas; to 400' (122 m).

I don't have a fruit/berry picture and this time of year the foliage is eaten readily by the little insect varmints.  That is why I chose to be specific with the quote.  Ya'll are gonna like this.

[Gordon]

My tree book is out in the truck so I'm guessing that it's a black-gum

Gordon

[Tom]

nope

[swampwhiteoak]

Swamp-bay?

[Tom]

A little bit Generic "Swamp". It grows on sandy uplands here as well as down low and we have several trees that carry that name.

[swampwhiteoak]

Teach me not to use latin names!

I was thinking Persea palustris but I will now change my answer to Red-bay, Persea borbonia

[Tom]

I don't speak latin either  Your right as rain.

I wouldn't be caught without some of this stuff at a cook out. Why buy it at the grocery store, 5 leaves in a little bottle when it is growing everywhere.  A few in a stew is great and I like to put a fresh bough on top of my steak and cover it with a lid for a unique flavor.  Folks ask what I did to make the steak so good.  I say nuthin'  

[Tom]

Hey Swampwhiteoak,  I went looking for the latin names of the two bays and Red and Swamp and can't find a picture of Swamp Bay.  You got a link?

Folks around here call Sweet Bay and Red Bay just Bay. Sometimes they distinguish them as white and Black Barked and in doubt call most everything else that they don't know a Bay or Gum.  Kinda funny

[swampwhiteoak]

Tom, I just used my book but I found a link for ya

http://www.hortpix.com/pc3125.htm

or

http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/images.asp?plantID=2064#

Never occurred to me that these were the bay leaves used in cooking.  Duh! - Then again I never lived anywhere near where these trees are common.

[Tom]

Thanks for the links, swamp.  I was surprised to find that UF site.  I've looked their stuff before but it didn't come up when I looked for swamp bay.

It looks like Fl. is covered up in the stuff.  If it is a specific tree then I wonder if I've been calling Swamp Bay, red bay and vice-a-versa without knowing it.  I don't recognize the leaves in the picture nor the flowers.  It looks like I would know what it was if it was as common as the map indicates.

thanks

[WDH]

Dodgy Loner pointed out recently (something that I did not know either) that swamp bay is a variety of red bay.  Persia borbonia var. pubescens.  It seems that the bay with the rusty hairs on the underside is the swamp bay and the leaves that don't have the hairs is red bay.  Learn something new every day .