Tree Description:
A tree 60 to 80 feet tall, usually smaller, and a trunk to 2 feet in diameter, with an oval crown of glossy, green foliage.
Range/Site Description:
Found in swamps and on rich, moist soils in dense forests in southeast Texas.
Leaf:
Simple, alternate, 4" to 6" long and 1" to 2.5" wide, elliptical or oblong, pale green and glossy above, silky-white beneath, semi-evergreen or evergreen.
Flower:
Opening during several weeks of spring and early summer, with showy flowers 2" to 3" across, each with 9 to 12 creamy white petals on slender smooth stems.
Fruit:
An aggregate or "cone," oval or cylindrical, 2" long, dark red or brown, containing scarlet seeds which are oval, flattened, and less than 0.5" long.
Bark:
Light gray to brown, aromatic if bruised; the branchlets are silky-white.
Wood:
Soft, creamy white to reddish, at one time used for furniture, boxes, woodenware, and Venetian blinds.
Similar Species:
Redbay (Persea borbonia) has narrower, aromatic leaves, inconspicuous flowers and small, round dark fruits; southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) has larger flowers and leaves with rusty-brown hairs underneath.
Interesting Facts:
At one time the flowers were used to manufacture certain perfumes.
