Redbay

Some Native Americans used Persea borbonia for medicinal purposes (D. E. Moerman 1986).

Trees , to 25 m. Branches appressed-pubescent. Leaf blade narrowly elliptic to widely ovate, 6-16 × 2-5 cm; surfaces abaxially pale, glaucous, moderately pubescent when young with rusty brown, appressed hairs, glabrescent with age, adaxially green, lustrous. Inflorescences: peduncle equal to or shorter than subtending leaf petiole, pubescent. Drupe (8-)10 mm diam., usually glaucous. 2 n = 24.

Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tex.

Flowering spring-early summer.

In hammocks, mixed hardwoods, coastal dunes, maritime forests; outer Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, rarely in the Piedmont; 0-100m.

Laurus borbonia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 370. 1753; Persea littoralis Small; Tamala borbonia (Linnaeus) Rafinesque; T. littoralis (Small) Small

Redbay (Persea borbonia) is a perennial evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae).It is native to the Southeastern United States, and grows along the Gulf coast plain patchily in Texas and Louisiana, from Mississippi across panhandle and peninsular Florida and north to North Carolina and the southeast coast of Virginia.It also grows in the Bahamas and is cultivated in Hawaii. Redbay usually grows on the borders of swamp land.It is also known as tisswood, scrubbay, shorebay, and swampbay.

Persea borbonia grows as either a small tree or a large shrub. Its lance-shaped leaves are about 3 to 6 inches long, bright to dark green in color, and arranged alternately on the stem.When crushed, the leaves emit a spicy smell.In April-May, small white flowers form on axils branching from new growth.Bees and wind pollinate the flowers.Blue or black drupe fruits ripen in August-September.Songbirds, white-tailed deer, bobwhite quail, wild turkey, and black bear eat the fruit and disseminate the seeds. Deer and bear also browse redbay foliage, consuming up to as much as 40% of its annual growth without jeopardizing the tree.In some habitats redbay provides essential habitat for gray squirrels.

Redbay is not widely used in the present day for medicinal uses, however the Seminole Indians used to use it as an emetic to induce vomiting.The dried leaves can be used as an alternative to tropical bay spice for cooking.The wood is hard and strong, and used locally to build boats, cabinets and for lining the interior of structures.Persea borbonia is cultivated as an ornamental tree for gardens and parks.

In 2002 an ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus) was discovered as a recent introduction to the Southeastern United States from Asia.Now called the redbay ambrosia beetle, it arrived with a fungal symbiont (Raffaelea lauricola) which the adult and larvae cultivate as their food source.The ambrosia beetle bores into the wood of healthy trees, inoculating the xylem with the fungi.The fungi plug the tree’s xylem and prevent transport of water, causing wilting symptoms.At this point, the diseased tree is susceptible to other ambrosia beetles and their associated fungi.These pathogens cause rapid discoloration of foliage and wood and the tree dies within months.Although still a new pathogen complex, the beetle-fungi complex appears to spread rapidly, and is thought to be a very high risk pest to redbay and other laurel species with a potentially huge impact on these flora.As yet there is no known means of preventing the spread of the redbay ambrosia beetle.

(Brendemuehl 1990; Mann et al. 2014; Van Deelen 1991; Wikipedia 2015)

redbay
silkbay
shorebay
scrub-bay
swampbay

More info for the terms: perfect, tree

Redbay's growth habit varies over its range [5]. It usually grows as a
medium-sized tree, commonly shrubby, up to 45 feet (15 m) tall [13,20].
Occasionally, old trees may reach a d.b.h. of 3 feet (1 m), with a large
crown [20]. In southern Florida hammocks, redbay grows branched and
crooked, seldom achieving tree form [15].

Redbay leaves are alternate, simple, evergreen, and aromatic [13].
Stomatal characteristics suggest adaptation for water conservation [14].
Redbay flowers are perfect, small, cymes [5,12]. Annually produced
fruits are drupes which turn black or blue as they ripen [5].

Redbay grows on the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains and in peninsular
Florida. Its range extends from southern Deleware to southern Texas.
It also grows in the Bahamas [5,12,20]. It is cultivated in Hawaii
[46].

More info for the terms: fire intensity, fire regime, moderate-severity fire

The postfire survival of redbay apparently depends on fire intensity.
After moderate-severity fire which top-kills only small-diameter redbay,
redbay stands persist through sprouting and the survival of large
individuals [7]. Severe fire may eliminate all age classes.

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the term: competition

Redbay should be protected from fire [27] or subjected only to
low-severity prescribed fires [13] where wildlife habitat maintenance is
a goal. Atlantic white-cedar production may benefit from frequent fires
which reduce redbay competition [9,34]. Consult Hough [21] to predict
potential heat release when burning in redbay stands.

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

More info for the term: peat

Redbay soils are frequently Histosols consisting of a thick layer of
peat [15,36], a sandy-humis, or an organic muck [36]. When layered over
the Everglades' marl these soils may be basic [15], although throughout
most of redbay's range these soils are acidic [36]. The soils are
infertile [7] and provide poor mechanical support [5].

The climate throughout redbay's range is warm-temperate to subtropical.
The frost-free period is usually greater than 250 days per year and
normal temperatures range from 100 to 10 degrees F (38-minus 12 deg C).
Mean annual rainfall is between 52 and 64 inches (1,020 and 1,630 mm)
and is well distributed seasonally [5].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the terms: hardwood, swamp

74 Cabbage palmetto
81 Loblolly pine
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
97 Atlantic white-cedar
98 Pond pine
100 Pondcypress
101 Baldcypress
102 Baldcypress - tupelo
104 Sweetbay - swamp tupelo - redbay

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES41 Wet grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K080 Marl - everglades
K091 Cypress savanna
K092 Everglades
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
K114 Pocosin

More info for the term: top-kill

Aromatic leaves and a dense, shrubby growth form [7] favor intense fires
in redbay stands. Most fires probably kill or at least top-kill redbay,
since it appears to survive only moderate-severity fires. Those
individuals that survive fire may experience delayed mortality because
of fire-related scarring and stem deterioration [5].

More info for the term: fruit

Wild turkeys and many songbirds eat redbay fruit [5]. The northern
bobwhite eats red bay seeds, especially during the winter [5,27].
White-tailed deer and black bears eat the foliage and fruit of redbay.
Redbay can sustain browsing of up to 40 percent of its current annual
growth [5]. In otherwise pure stands of even-age pine in southern
Alabama, redbay-dominated "stringers" provide essential habitat for
gray squirrels [18].

More info for the terms: hardwood, mesic, swamp, tree, xeric

Redbay is common in pocosins [10,30], forested wetlands [1], mixed
hardwood swamps [38,40], and Mississippi pitcher-plant (Sarrecenia spp.)
bogs [16]. In the drier Big Thicket area of eastern Texas, it sometimes
grows on upland longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas [6,33] and
poorly drained sites where mesic vegetation form localized patches in a
more xeric landscape [41]. Redbay is a principal associate in the
Okefenokee Swamp [8], a dominant in Cumberland Island understories [10],
and common in the Great Dismal Swamp [44] and Big Cypress Swamp [11].
Red bay dominates many everglades tree islands [30,40] and cypress dome
[40] understories. It is occasional in the understories of high
hammocks [2] but a major component in low hammocks. When seen from the
air, southern Florida low hammocks have a characteristic
redbay-dominated tail which extends downstream in the direction of the
everglade's flow [15]. Some southern Florida tree islands are so
dominated by redbay, sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), and loblolly-bay
(Gordonia lasianthus) that they are known as "bayheads" [23].

Overstory associates include red maple (Acer rubrum) [36], cabbage
palmetto (Sabel palmetto) [39], spruce pine (Pinus glabra) [25], slash
pine (P. elliottii) [17], loblolly pine (P. taeda) [3], sand pine (P.
clausa) [4], southern redcedar (Juniperus silicicola), loblolly-bay,
cassena (Ilex cassine), titi (Cyrilla racemiflora) [8], sweetbay, and
Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) [24].

Understory associates include hurrahbush (Lyonia lucida), swamp
fetterbush (Leucothoe racemosa), sweetspire (Itea virginica), poor-man's
soap (Clethra alnifolia), coral greenbriar (Smilax Walteri), and wax
myrtle (Myrica cerifera) [8,23].

Wells [42] cited redbay as a dominant in his classification system of
Coastal Plain community types.

More info for the term: tree

Tree

The wildlife habitat value of southern pine plantations can be increased
by allowing redbay to grow along intermittent streams [18].

Redbay is very resistant to insects and fungal disease [30].

Lay [28] listed nutrient percentage values of redbay browse collected
in winter as follows:

Protein Fat Fiber N-free Ash Phosphoric Calcium
extract acid
6.98 3.25 29.5 43.1 2.17 0.14 0.31

These levels are low for protein, deficient for phosphoric acid, but
high for calcium [28].

AL DE FL GA HI LA MD MS NC SC
TX VA

Redbay leaves are a good substitute for those of tropical bay (Persea
spp.), which are used as a food seasoning [5].

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More info for the term: fruit

Redbay flowers between April and May [12], and its fruit ripens during
August and September [38].

Tree without adventitious-bud root crown

More info for the terms: competition, natural

The primary mode of regeneration for redbay is sexual. The flowers are
insect- and wind-pollinated. Songbirds, wild turkeys, northern
bobwhites, black bears, and white-tailed deer disperse seeds. Natural
stands of redbay are patchy and diffuse due to overstory competition
[5].

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More info for the terms: climax, forest, swamp

Redbay is a late-seral species. It is shade tolerant but also grows
well in the open in both young and old stands [5]. Redbay is a climax
associate in Daubenmire's [9] southern magnolia (Magnolia
grandiflora)-live oak (Quercus virginiana) type and dominates swamp
forest [43] and cedar [34] understories in the absence of disturbance.

Tamala borbonia (L.) Raf.
Tamala pubescens (Pursh) Small

The currently accepted scientific name for redbay is Persea borbonia
(L.) Spreng. (Lauraceae). Morphological variety complicates redbay
taxonomy. Three varieties, also regarded as separate species, are
distinguished based on habitat differences and the morphology of the
hair on the undersides of the leaves:

P. b. var. borbonia - typical variety

P. b. var. humilis (Nash) Kopp [P. humulis Nash] - commonly known as
silkbay; distinguished from the typical variety by especially dense hair
[12]; restricted to the oak (Quercus spp.)-pine (Pinus spp.) scrub of
peninsular Florida [4].

P. b. var. pubescens (Pursh) Little [P. palustris (Raf.) Sarg.] - commonly
known as swampbay; distinguished from the type by crooked hair [13] and
an affinity for swampy areas [12,20].

This review follows Little [29] and Kartesz and Kartesz [22] who favor
three varieties. There are no recognized subspecies or forms.

More info for the term: reclamation

Redbay seedlings can be used in wetlands and phosphate mine reclamation
[32].

Redbay wood is heavy, hard, strong, and bright red with thin,
light-colored sapwood. It is used locally for cabinetwork, interior
finishing, and boat building [5].

In the forest cover type Sweetbay-Swamp Tupelo-Redbay (Society of American Foresters Type 104), redbay is a major component (1). Stocking within this type may consist of combinations of any two or all three of these species, but locally a single species may dominate. It is a common associate of the following cover types: Loblolly Pine-Hardwood (Type 82), Pond Pine (Type 98), Baldcypress-Tupelo (Type 102), and Water Tupelo-Swamp Tupelo (Type 103). Redbay is a minor component of the following cover types: Cabbage Palmetto (Type 74), Loblolly Pine (Type 81), Atlantic White-Cedar (Type 97), Pondcypress (Type 100), and Baldcypress (Type 101).

Numerous species that grow on moist to wet sites may be associated with Sweetbay-Swamp Tupelo-Redbay, depending on the geographic location, site, and stand history. Common hardwoods include red maple (Acer rubrum), black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), loblolly-bay (Gordonia lasianthus), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), water oak Quercus nigra), laurel oak (Q. laurifolia), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). Associated conifers include slash pine (Pinus elliottii), longleaf pine (P. palustris), loblolly pine (P. taeda), pond pine (P. serotina), baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), pondcypress (T distichum var. nutans), and Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides). Small trees and shrubs associated with redbay include buckwheat-tree (Cliftonia monophylla), dahoon (Ilex cassine), yaupon (I. vomitoria), inkberry (I. glabra), lyonia fetterbush (Lyonia lucida), bayberry (Myrica spp.), and poison-sumac (Toxicodendron vernix).

Redbay grows in a climate ranging from warm-temperate along the Atlantic Coast to semitropical in southern Florida and the lower gulf coast of Texas. The frost-free period varies from a minimum of 200 days to a maximum of 365 days and is more than 250 in much of its range. Average January temperatures of these coastal areas range from 3° C (38° F) in southern Delaware to 20° C (68° F) in south Florida, with 10° to 13° C (50° to 56° F) characteristic of most of this region. Summers are hot and humid. Average July temperatures range from 26° to 28° C (78° to 82° F). Temperatures above 38° C (100° F) or below -12° C (10° F) seldom occur over most of this species range.

Average annual rainfall within the natural range of redbay varies from a low of 1020 mm (40 in) in southern Delaware increasing to about 1320 mm (52 in) along the Atlantic coast of Florida and reaches a maximum of 1630 mm (64 in) in several areas along the gulf coast. Rainfall is quite well distributed, with about 55 percent of the total annual rainfall occurring in the warm season (April through September). Periodic summer droughts are more common in the western part than in the rest of this species range (9).

Fire may cause substantial damage to redbay. Fire scarring with the associated deterioration of the butt portion of the tree is common. It may also prevent or forestall the establishment of reproduction.

Insects or diseases apparently do not cause serious damage to redbay. It is the principal host of Trioza magnoliae, a psyllid or jumping plant louse. This psyllid forms large, unsightly galls on redbay leaves but apparently causes little damage to the tree because a large proportion of the leaves remain unaffected (6). A leaf spot of redbay caused by the fungus Phyllachora perseae has been reported. Evidently this disease is not a serious problem because only a portion of the leaf area is affected (5).

Although some species of the genus Persea are susceptible to a root disease caused by the fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi, redbay is resistant. This resistance is due to a borbonol, a preformed antifungal substance that is a component of the roots and stems of certain species of Persea. Some species of this genus, including several avocado cultivars highly susceptible to this root disease, do not contain antifungal compounds with the properties of borbonol (10).

The flowers are perfect, appearing in the spring in the axils of the new foliage. Insects, primarily bees, are the principal pollination vector; however, pollen is also disseminated by wind. The fruit is a small drupe about 13 mm (0.5 in) long that is bright blue or blue-black when ripe. A thin layer of rather dry flesh surrounds the seed or pit of the fruit (4).

No information on the genetics of redbay is currently available.

Redbay is included in a list of commercial trees of southern hardwood forests, but its growth or the size it attains varies considerably over its range. Presumably these differences in growth are a reflection of variation in site quality (8).

One source (4) describes redbay as a beautiful evergreen tree, sometimes 18 to 21 m (60 to 70 ft) in height and 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 in) in diameter. Under forest growth conditions it develops a clear, cylindrical bole and a dense, pyramidal crown with ascending branches.

A second source (3) describes redbay as a small evergreen tree seldom more than 9 to 15 m (30 to 50 ft) tall with a trunk diameter of 31 to 61 cm (12 to 24 in). Redbay found growing in the pocosins along the Atlantic Coast has been described as a shrub.

Redbay is classed as tolerant of shade but is also found growing well in the open, and in both young and old forest stands. Reproduction is generally erratic and scattered in groups among swamp tupelo and sweetbay. Overstory competition may account for the scarcity and poor form of redbay growing under certain forest conditions (8).

Information pertaining to this aspect of the life history of redbay could not be found in the literature.

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Germination of redbay seed is hypogeal. No further information on seedling development was available.

Redbay is found growing on the borders of swamps and swampy drains in the rich, moist, mucky soil of the lower Coastal Plain. Such muck swamps are not of alluvial origin but generally originate from impoundment of water in land-locked depressions. The water of these swamps is usually dark brown from accumulated organic matter. The bottoms of the swamps do not provide firm support. Sites similar to the deep muck swamps are found in the shallow ponds, strands, and pocosins in the longleaf, slash, and pond pine woods but here tree growth is usually stunted (8). These soils are most commonly found in the order Histosols.

The wood is heavy, hard, strong, and bright red, with a thin, lighter colored sapwood, but it has no established place in commerce. It is used locally for cabinet making and interior finish and for boatbuilding. Dried leaves of redbay make an excellent substitute for those of the tropical bay and may be used in the same way for seasoning food. The tree is occasionally used as an ornamental because of the evergreen leaves and its fruit.

Redbay is reported to be of significant importance to wildlife. The fruit is eaten by several species of songbirds and wild turkey. In order of volumetric importance, the redbay fruits were in 15th place in a list of 63 food items. Redbay seeds may form a sizable portion of the bobwhite diet during the fall and winter months. The fruits and leaves of redbay are eaten by deer. It is browsed heaviest in fall and winter but withstands such grazing well. As much as 40 percent of the annual growth has been removed as browse for 2- or 3-year periods without causing death of the plants. Reports that black bear consume both the fruits and leaves of redbay have been noted in North Carolina and Florida (2).

No information on vegetative reproduction of redbay could be found in the literature.

Lauraceae -- Laurel family

R. H. Brendemuehl

Redbay (Persea borbonia), also called shorebay, is an attractive aromatic evergreen tree or shrub of the southeastern Coastal Plains. This tree's size and growth habit varies considerably over its range and commercially important trees are not common. The wood takes a fine polish and is used locally for cabinetwork and boatbuilding. The seeds are eaten by wildlife and deer browse the foliage. The leaves are used as a seasoning for cooking. Redbay is also planted as an ornamental

Redbay is a minor hardwood of southeastern and southern United States. It is a common but seldom an abundant component of the swamp forests of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from southern Delaware south through Florida and west to the lower Texas gulf coast It also grows in the Bahamas.


-The native range of redbay.

Persea borbonia or redbay is a small, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae), native to the southeastern United States. It belongs to the genus Persea, a group of evergreen trees including bays and the avocado. Persea borbonia has several common names including tisswood, scrubbay, shorebay, and swampbay.