Litsea
| Litsea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Litsea japonica | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Laurales |
| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Genus: | Litsea Lam. |
| Species | |
|
200-400, including: | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Litsea is a genus of evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes 200 to 400 species in tropical and subtropical areas of both hemispheres.
Trees or shrubs, dioecious. The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen depending on species, and aromatic. The flowers are from greenish to white, greenish-yellow, yellowish.
Characteristics
The genus includes species of trees, and shrubs, with evergreen or deciduous foliage and inconspicuous flowers.
They have leaves alternate or opposite or in whorls.[1] The inflorescences are pseudo-umbels, flat-topped or rounded flower clusters, each pseudo-umbel with an involucre of four or six decussate bracts.[1]
Selected species
- Litsea annamensis
- Litsea baviensis
- Litsea bindoniana, an Australian rainforest tree.
- Litsea calicaris, a New Zealand tree
- Litsea cubeba, used for wood, medicine, and perfumes
- Litsea glaucescens, Mexican bay, used medicinally and as a condiment.[2]
- Litsea glutinosa, an Asian rainforest tree. Commonly called Lauat or Lawat in the Philippines.
- Litsea guatemalensis
- Litsea ichangensis, forms part of the summer diet for Rhinopithicus roxellana.
- Litsea lancilimba
- Litsea longipes
- Litsea monopetala (syn. Litsea polyantha)
- Litsea reticulata, an Australian rainforest tree.
- Litsea vang
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Litsea. |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Puhua Huang, Jie Li, Xi-wen Li, and Henk van der Werff. "Flora of China online".
- ↑ http://www.herbsociety.org/factsheets/Bay%20Guide.pdf