LAURACEAE
Morphological description
Woody trees. Twining parasite (Cassytha).
Leaves
Leaves simple, entire, usually spiral or alternate; often coriaceous, triplinerved, glaucous below; aromatic; exstipulate. Sometimes leaves mostly opposite, triplinerved (Cinnamomum); leaves crowded, often brown-hairy (Actinodaphne). Sometimes leaves drying blackish (most Dehaasia, some Lindera).
Flowers
Flower ovary superior. Sometimes ovary inferior (Cassytha, Cryptocarya, Eusideroxylon, Potoxylon)
Fruit
Fruit sometimes stalk swollen, fleshy (Alseodaphne, Dehaasia).
Different from: Icacinaceae: 2 ovules, anthers not opening by valves. — Monimiaceae: leaves (sub)opposite, dentate.
Distribution: The family world-wide. In Malesia 20 genera, mostly of the mid-montane rain forest; incl.: - Cinnamomum (Indo-Australia), trees; - Cryptocarya (pantropical), trees of lowland and montane rain forest; - Eusideroxylon (Sumatra and Borneo), large trees, lowland; - Litsea (pantropical), mostly small trees of lowland and montane rain forest.
Notes: Several species produce fruits eaten by various animals. — Many useful plants, incl.: spices: Cinnamomum; medicinal uses: Cryptocarya, Cinnamomum; edible fruits: Persea americana*, some Litsea; timber: Eusideroxylon (Ironwood, Ulin), Cryptocarya.
Literature: A. J.G.H. Kostermans, Lauraceae. Comm. For. Res. Inst. Indon. 57 (1957); K.M. Kochummen, Tree Fl. Mal. 4 (1989) 98-178.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Lauraceae 30, 56, 57, 58, 59, 79 - Actinodaphne 14, 46, 76, 87 - Actinolindera 87 - Alseodaphne 46, 87 - Beilschmiedia 14, 15, 52, 87 - Caryodaphnopsis 64, 87 - Cassytha 5, 7, 11, 92 - Cinnadenia 87 - Cinnamomum 45, 64, 85, 87 - Cryptocarya 64, 87, 92, 99; Cryptocarya (Davis 759) 9 - Dehaasia 54, 87 - Endiandra 45, 87 - Eusideroxylon 87, 92 - Hexapora 87 - Lindera 54, 64, 71, 76, 87 - Litsea 45, 70, 71, 76, 87, 93 - Neocinnamomum 87 - Neolitsea 46, 64, 87 - Notaphoebe 87 - Persea 87 - Phoebe 14, 87, 93 - Potoxylon 87, 92 - Triadodaphne 87.
Illustrations: Fig. 85. Beilschmiedia gigantocarpa Kosterm.: a. habit; b. flower; c. stamens; d. fruit (Courtesy Reinwardtia, Bogor). Fig. 86. Cinnamomum lawang Kosterm.: a & b. habit; c. stamen; d. pistil (Courtesy Reinwardtia, Bogor).
Image in PhytoImages for Lauraceae