Persea borbonia
| Persea borbonia | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 49' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Persea borbonia (common name: red bay)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first 2 winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and give some protection from winter cold for their first winter or two outdoors.
Cultivation: We have found no cultivation details for this species in Britain, though the tree is likely to require a well-drained light to medium soil in a sunny sheltered position[K]. It is only likely to be hardy in the mildest areas of the country[1].
Range: South-eastern N. America - Virginia to Florida, west to Texas.
Habitat: Sandy to rich moist soils of low woodlands, coastal forests, along the sides of bogs, streams and swamps[2]. Sometimes found in dry sandy areas in Florida[2].
Edibility: The fresh or dried leaves can be used as a flavouring in soups etc[2].
Medicinal: Red bay was widely employed medicinally by the Seminole Indians who used it to treat a variety of complaints, but especially as an emetic and body cleanser[3]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
The leaves are abortifacient, analgesic, antirheumatic, appetizer, emetic and febrifuge[3]. An infusion can be used to abort a foetus up to the age of four months[3]. An infusion is also used in treating fevers, headaches, diarrhoea, thirst, constipation, appetite loss and blocked urination[3]. A strong decoction is emetic and was used as a body purification when treating a wide range of complaints[3]. A decoction of the leaves is used externally as a wash on rheumatic joints and painful limbs[3].
Usage: Wood - hard, heavy, close-grained, very strong, rather brittle[4][2][5]. It weighs 40lb per cubic foot[5]. The wood works well and is suitable for interior uses such as cabinets, but trees with large straight trunks are not sufficiently common to make the tree of commercial interest[2].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.